His criticism was echoed by the mayors of several towns in northern Israel, which has borne the brunt of Hizbollah’s rocket launches over the past year, with David Azoulay, mayor of Metula, calling the proposal “shameful” and “an agreement of surrender . . . to Hizbollah, an arm of Iran”.

Beijing, China - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will implement a ceasefire deal to bring a halt to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but will respond forcefully to any violation.