Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday his government had not responded to a push by the United States and its allies for a 21-day ceasefire in Israel’s fight with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

“It is an American-French proposal, which the prime minister has not even responded to,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office, adding that he had ordered the army “to continue the fighting with full force”.

The United States, European Union and other allies including several Arab states issued a joint call for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon after Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in Lebanon this week.

The situation in Lebanon has become “intolerable” and “is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon,” said a joint statement from US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and other allies.

“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement.”

The statement was issued jointly with Western powers, Japan and key Gulf Arab powers — Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — as leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The call for a three-week ceasefire came hours after Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi on Wednesday told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah.

Israeli aerial bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has hit back with barrages of rockets and said a ballistic missile targeted Tel Aviv.

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