Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon, signaling that Israel will continue military operations while pursuing planned negotiations with Beirut.
"There is no ceasefire in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video address to residents of northern Israel. "We continue to strike Hezbollah with force and we will not stop until we restore your security."
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to open direct talks with Lebanon following what he described as repeated requests from the Lebanese government.
The negotiations, expected to begin next week in Washington, aim to disarm Hezbollah and reach a "historic and lasting" peace agreement, Netanyahu added. Delegations will be led by the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States.
The announcement came a day after Israel launched large-scale airstrikes across Lebanon, including about 100 strikes carried out within minutes against Hezbollah positions. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported more than 300 killed and roughly 1,150 wounded.
Netanyahu says no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel plans talks
Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, on Thursday warned against "needless contradictions and ambiguities" that could hinder Taiwan's progress, as she continued her visit to the mainland.
Cheng made the remarks when touring the sprawling, fully automated Yangshan Port in Shanghai, where she witnessed firsthand the achievements of the Chinese mainland's high-tech and industrial development.
She commended the mainland's industrial and technological advances as well as its low-carbon transformation.
"The service industry and traditional manufacturing sector of Taiwan are facing very serious bottlenecks. Opportunities for future development can be seen in how they transform, upgrade, and integrate with AI. Cross-strait reconciliation, dialogue, exchange, and cooperation can make the most beautiful flowers bloom even in the most unlikely places. Therefore, everyone's imagination, creativity, expertise, and enthusiasm are limitless. We shouldn't let needless contradictions and ambiguities limit the steps we could take and the development we could achieve," Cheng said.
Leading a KMT delegation, Cheng embarked her six-day visit to the mainland on Tuesday, marking the first time in a decade that a KMT chairperson has led a delegation to the mainland.
Shanghai was the second leg of Cheng's trip, after she and her delegation traveled to Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu in the east.
On delegation, the delegation visited the Shanghai headquarters of the food delivery giant Meituan, where they experienced drone-based delivery services that offered a glimpse into the mainland's rapidly developing smart economy.
On Thursday morning, Cheng and her delegation also toured the Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd., manufacturer of domestically-developed aircraft including the C919 passenger jet.
The delegation departed Shanghai for Beijing on Thursday afternoon.
Needless contradictions should not limit Taiwan's potential: KMT chairwoman
