US: We announced Lebanon ceasefire initiative because Netanyahu told us he was on board
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

The White House doubles down on its insistence that it coordinated ahead of time with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in its statement last night announcing an initiative for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We had every reason to believe that in the drafting of [the statement] and in the delivery of it that the Israelis were fully informed and fully aware of every word in it. We wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t believe that it would be received with the seriousness with which it was composed,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says in a briefing with reporters.
A senior Western diplomat told The Times of Israel earlier today that Netanyahu and his aides were closely involved in crafting and approving the joint statement issued by the US and over a dozen other countries backing a 21-day ceasefire along the Blue Line, which aimed at providing time for both a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza and an agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that sees the terror group withdraw its forces away from the border.
Asked if it is fair to say that the US wouldn’t have published the statement last night had it not believed that Israel was on board with the plan, Kirby responds in the affirmative.
Nonetheless, the White House still believes that it is possible to reach a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hezbollah and have continued talks with Israeli counterparts even after Netanyahu all but blew up their effort this morning.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of a ceasefire upon landing in New York earlier today, telling reporters that Israel would continue striking Hezbollah “with full force” and would not stop until its goals are achieved.
“We’ve seen Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments. We still believe an all-out war is not the best way to get people back in their homes. If that’s the goal, we don’t believe an all-out war is the right way to do that,” Kirby says.
“I can’t speak for Prime Minister Netanyahu. I can’t answer why he said what he said… whether [the considerations] were political or operational or otherwise. Those are questions that he needs to be asked,” he adds.