Israel will continue to discuss ceasefire proposals for Lebanon in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as Washington warned that further escalation would only make it harder for civilians on both sides to return home.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has called for a 7-day ceasefire. He said Israel should accept the plan but “only for seven days so as not to allow Hezbollah to restore its command and control systems”.

The United States is working urgently on a plan to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to three sources familiar with the matter, as officials eye with deepening concern the prospects of a widening conflict.