Israel’s military leadership wants to see a ceasefire in Gaza, even if it leaves the Hamas terror group ruling the Strip, The New York Times reported on Monday, citing six current and former security officials, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding that this was not an option.

The generals were said to believe that a permanent ceasefire is the best way to free remaining Hamas-held hostages. They also reportedly said that the Israel Defense Forces needs to restock ahead of an expected wider conflict with Hezbollah, as diplomatic efforts have so far failed to allay fears of a potential war in Lebanon.

The New York Times did not indicate to what extent generals have pushed the position in front of Netanyahu, who has repeatedly promised to keep fighting until “total victory.” The premier has also said that Israel is running low on munitions, alleging that the White House is withholding arms from the country.

The Times’ report was the latest indication of a rift between Netanyahu and the military’s top brass regarding the war against Hamas, which was sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 massacre, in which 1,200 were killed in Israel and 251 were kidnapped, 116 of whom remain captive.

In a statement, Netanyahu blasted the “anonymous sources” who spoke to the US outlet.

“I don’t know who those unnamed parties are, but I’m here to make it unequivocally clear: it won’t happen,” said Netanyahu. “We will end the war only after we have achieved all of its goals, including the elimination of Hamas and the release of all our hostages.”

“The political echelon defined these goals for the IDF,” he continued, “and the IDF has all the means to achieve them. We will not succumb to defeatism, neither at The New York Times nor anywhere else. We are filled with the spirit of victory.”

The Israel Defense Force also responded to the report, saying it was “determined to keep fighting until it achieves the goals of the war, the destruction of Hamas’s military and governance capabilities, bringing back our hostages, and safely returning residents in the north and south to their homes.

“The IDF will continue fighting Hamas across the Gaza Strip,” the statement continued, “alongside continuing to improve our readiness for a war in the north, and defending all of our borders.”

Officials cited in the report also elaborated on a manpower crisis the IDF is facing. The newspaper cited four military officials as saying that fewer reservists are reporting for duty as the war in Gaza drags on. Five officers also said that officers were increasingly distrustful of their commanders after the army’s failures on October 7.

Five officials and officers were cited as saying Israel was running low on shells. Some added that the IDF was lacking spare parts for military vehicles, including tanks and bulldozers. Two officers said that due to the shortage of munitions, Israeli tanks in Gaza were not loaded to their full capacity.

Netanyahu effected a crisis with the United States over the past two weeks after accusing the White House of a “diminution” in arms shipments to Israel. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who visited Washington last week, said that “significant progress” had been made in resolving the crisis.

Eyal Hulata, Israel’s former national security adviser, told The New York Times that Israel was still able to fight Hezbollah.

“If we’re dragged into a bigger war, we have enough resources and manpower,” Hulata was quoted as saying. “But we’d like to do it in the best conditions we can. And at the moment, we don’t have the best conditions.”

All the officers interviewed were said to agree with Hulata’s assessment.

Tensions have been mounting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group for weeks. Fires ravaged the north on Monday after rockets launched from Lebanon started them, and a barrage of 15 projectiles hit the largely evacuated city of Kiryat Shmona on Tuesday.

Former war cabinet member Benny Gantz warned on Monday that Lebanon could “soon enough start feeling war” if it failed to rein in Hezbollah.

Gantz’s statement came two weeks after the IDF said its senior commanders had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive. Later that day, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said “no place” in Israel would be safe from the terror group’s missiles.

Meanwhile, a senior adviser to Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was quoted in the Financial Times on Tuesday as saying that the Islamic Republic would support Hezbollah with “all means” if Israel launches a war in Lebanon. The report came days after Tehran’s mission to the United Nations threatened “obliterating war” on Israel if it were to pursue “full-scale military aggression” in Lebanon.

Channel 12 news reported on Tuesday that German Foreign Minister Annaela Baerbock and German intelligence were in Lebanon in a push to deescalate the situation.

The push comes after previous American- and French-led efforts have so far failed to make Hezbollah retreat beyond the Litani River — some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Israel’s northern border — in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Hezbollah has been shelling the northern communities on a near-daily basis since October 8, a day after the Hamas onslaught started the war in Gaza.

An end to the fighting in the south would open the door for Hezbollah to hold its fire. The Iran-backed Shiite group has pledged to keep striking Israel as long as the war against Hamas in Gaza continues.

Negotiations to secure a truce and hostages-for-prisoners exchange deal with Hamas have so far faltered, with Hamas demanding that any agreement includes a permanent end to the war and Netanyahu vowing to continue until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are eliminated.