Beirut – Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib called on Canada on Thursday to use its influence and relations with influential countries to reach a ceasefire in the south of the country and prevent the war from expanding.
This came during an official visit to Canada, during which Bou Habib met with his counterpart Melanie Joly, according to the official Lebanese News Agency, which did not mention the time of the minister’s arrival or the duration of his visit.
During the meeting, Bou Habib stressed “the urgent need to support UNIFIL forces, fully implement Security Council Resolution 1701, and support the Lebanese Army.”
On August 11, 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, calling for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, and for the creation of an area between the Blue Line (the border between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, free of any armed men, military equipment and weapons, except those belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces and the UNIFIL forces.
Bou Habib also asked Canada to “use its influence and relations with influential countries to reach a ceasefire in southern Lebanon and prevent the expansion of the war.”
He also called on Canada to “use its influence to ease tensions in the region and prevent the outbreak of a comprehensive war, and then work towards a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution, relevant Security Council resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
In turn, Jolie affirmed “Canada’s commitment to supporting stability in Lebanon and the region and working with international partners to achieve this goal,” according to the same source.
Due to the possibility of Israel launching a large-scale war on Lebanon, several Western countries, including Canada, called on their citizens to leave Lebanon or not travel to it.
The escalation between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah has increased in recent weeks, raising fears of a full-scale war, especially with the Israeli army approving operational plans a week ago for a “large-scale attack” on Lebanon.
Since October 8, Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon, most notably Hezbollah, have been exchanging daily shelling with the Israeli army across the “Blue Line,” leaving hundreds dead and wounded, most of them on the Lebanese side.
These factions are making the cessation of the bombing conditional on Israel ending a war it has been waging with American support on the Gaza Strip since October 7, which has left more than 125,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing.
Anatolia
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2024-07-06 14:53:06
