A heated debate erupted Thursday night during a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet as several ministers voiced opposition to a proposed ceasefire arrangement with Lebanon, while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu clarified that no agreement currently exists because Hezbollah has not accepted the terms.

The discussion came after the United States announced details of a proposed framework following talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives in Washington.

Under the reported proposal, the sides would establish a series of “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon under the exclusive control of the Lebanese Army. Implementation would be contingent upon a complete cessation of hostilities and the removal of all Hezbollah operatives from areas south of the Litani River.

Despite the framework, no vote on approving a ceasefire took place after Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem publicly rejected the proposal, including its requirement that Hezbollah halt its attacks.

According to a Ynet report, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir attended only the opening portion of the meeting and spoke little during the discussion. During the session, ministers received news of the death of armored corps officer Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, Hy”d, in southern Lebanon, a development that further hardened opposition among several cabinet members.

At the start of the meeting, Netanyahu updated ministers on the status of negotiations and emphasized that no agreement was currently on the table.

“If Hezbollah agrees, I will bring the ceasefire agreement to you for approval. At the moment there is no agreement. Hezbollah opposes it, and therefore I am not bringing it for a decision,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister’s remarks sparked a sharp exchange among ministers. Energy Minister Eli Cohen argued that Israel’s response to Hezbollah attacks has been insufficient.

“We need to tell ourselves the truth. For attacks like these, any normal country would have smashed them,” Cohen said.

Minister Ze’ev Elkin pointed to what he described as Lebanon’s unwillingness to move forward with a ceasefire.

“The other side does not want a ceasefire. We can wait a little longer, but we must respond,” Elkin said.

Settlement Minister Orit Strock called for territorial changes along the northern border, saying Israel should “change the border” and move in that direction.

Minister Yitzchak Wasserlauf recounted a conversation with his son regarding the proposed ceasefire.

“My son asked me what this ceasefire is. I told him, during a food break you eat, during a ceasefire they shoot. We cannot keep trying to satisfy the Americans. Time is not on our side,” Wasserlauf said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Netanyahu to present the human cost of the conflict directly to President Donald Trump.

“Go to the United States and take children from Kiryat Shmona and Metula with you. Tell Trump: We love you, but we must strike Hezbollah’s weak points in Dahieh, and even if there is an escalation, there must be a military maneuver. He’ll get over it. Our soldiers are more important,” Ben Gvir said.

In contrast, Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich offered a more supportive assessment of the proposed arrangement.

“A ceasefire under these circumstances would be a tremendous achievement,” Smotrich argued.

Earlier Thursday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem formally rejected the understandings reached between Israel and Lebanon, which would have required Hezbollah to stop firing and withdraw from territory south of the Litani River.

“The result of the direct, humiliating and disgraceful negotiations is rejected by broad segments of the Lebanese people,” Qassem said.

He further declared that Hezbollah would not agree to any ceasefire while Israeli troops remain in Lebanon.

“The Washington declaration conditions the basic principles that America and Israel want — toward subjugating Lebanon to the Greater Israel project.”

Shortly after Qassem’s speech, sirens warning of a hostile aircraft intrusion sounded in several communities in the western Galilee. A Hezbollah drone later exploded near Shlomi, roughly twenty minutes after Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz had departed the area following a meeting with local municipal leaders.

{Matzav.com}