The leaders of the US and France have jointly called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon – a move that comes amid a rising death toll from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.
Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York late Wednesday as they voiced fears that the conflict, after a year of bloodshed in Gaza, would escalate into a full-blown regional war.
The situation in Lebanon has become “intolerable” and “is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon”, a joint statement released by the White House said.
“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement.”
The statement was issued jointly with Western powers, Japan and key Gulf Arab powers – Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot earlier unveiled the proposal at an emergency Security Council session.
“There has been important progress in the past few hours,” Barrot said.
“We’ve been working since the start of the week in New York on a diplomatic solution with our American friends in particular.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and warned that “hell is breaking loose”.
Israel said it welcomed diplomacy on Lebanon but did not commit to a ceasefire, vowing to pursue its goal of degrading Hezbollah.
(with newswires)
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