US and allies call for 21-day ceasefire on Lebanon-Israel border

Biden announces allies' call for ceasefire on Lebanese-Israeli border

Allies including the US, UK and EU have called for a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, following an escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The 12-member bloc proposed an immediate 21-day pause in fighting “to allow space for diplomacy to reach a diplomatic settlement” and a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a joint statement, they said the hostilities were “intolerable” and presented an “unacceptable risk of broader regional escalation” that was neither in the interests of the Israeli nor the Lebanese people.

It comes after Israel's military chief told troops on Wednesday that widespread airstrikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah could pave the way for them to enter enemy territory.

Lt. Gen. Halevi's remarks are the clearest indication yet from a senior official that a ground invasion of Lebanon may be imminent.

The joint statement was signed by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom -United Kingdom and Qatar.

This followed a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A separate joint statement from US President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said it was time to reach a settlement “that guarantees safety and security to allow civilians to return home.”

Current hostilities threaten “much wider conflict and harm to civilians,” they said.

“We have therefore worked together in recent days on a joint appeal for a temporary ceasefire in order to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations on both sides of the border. .”

President Biden briefly spoke to reporters at the White House on Wednesday evening, saying there is “significant support from Europe as well as Arab countries and it is important that the war does not end don't stretch out.”

A senior administration official told the BBC that neither Israel nor Lebanon had accepted the proposal – although the United States was in contact with both governments. Official responses are expected within a few hours.

The official said a 21-day pause in fighting would provide a sustained phase that would allow negotiations to continue to reach a complex agreement.

They added that the United States was negotiating with the Lebanese government – ​​rather than Hezbollah. It would then be the responsibility of the Lebanese government to collaborate with non-state actors.

EPA

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country was “facing a blatant violation of our sovereignty”.

Earlier in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and said “all hell is breaking loose.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country was “facing a blatant violation of our sovereignty and human rights through the brutal practices of the Israeli enemy.”

He added that he hoped he could leave the UN session with a “serious solution” to “pressure Israel for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts.” Asked by Reuters whether a ceasefire could be reached soon, he said: “I hope so.”

Also speaking earlier, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said he was grateful for diplomatic efforts to avoid an escalation, but would “use every means at our disposal , in accordance with international law, to achieve our objectives.

He said Israel “does not seek a full-scale war” and expressed its desire for peace “clearly.”

Danon added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would arrive in New York on Thursday, hold bilateral meetings later in the day and address the General Assembly the following morning.

More than 600 people have been reported killed across Lebanon since Monday, when Israel launched an intense air campaign to destroy what it sees as infrastructure built by Hezbollah since its last war in 2006.

In Lebanon, another 90,000 people were newly displaced, adding to the 110,000 people who had fled their homes before the escalation, according to the UN. Nearly 40,000 people live in shelters across the country.

Nearly a year of deadly cross-border fighting sparked by the Gaza war has also led to the displacement of around 70,000 people in northern Israel, whose safe return the Israeli government and military say they want to ensure.

Hezbollah says it is attacking Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas and will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Both groups are supported by Iran and banned as terrorist organizations by Israel, the United Kingdom and other countries.

Cross-border fighting continued on Wednesday, with Hezbollah claiming to have targeted the headquarters of Israel's Mossad spy agency with a missile fired towards Tel Aviv – the first time Hezbollah has targeted the densely populated area.

It was intercepted by air defense and no damage or casualties were reported.

Hezbollah also fired dozens of additional rockets into northern Israel, injuring two people.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told reporters that the strikes killed at least 51 people and injured 223, without specifying how many were civilians or combatants.

This follows an unprecedented wave of attacks against Hezbollah.

Last week, 39 people were killed and thousands were injured when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members to communicate exploded in two waves across Lebanon. Israel is widely considered responsible for these attacks.

Then, an Israeli airstrike Friday on the group's stronghold of Dahieh, south Beirut, virtually wiped out the chain of command of its main combat unit, the Radwan Force. The group confirmed that one of its top military leaders, Ibrahim Aqil, was among the 55 people killed.

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