Lebanese PRIME Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the joint call for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah group amid increasing cross-border attacks.
The United States (US), European Union and nine other countries are urging both parties to agree to a 21-day ceasefire.
In his speech at the Security Council session, Mikati highlighted the need for “a concerted effort by all members of the (UN) Security Council to pressure Israel for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts,” referring to Gaza and Lebanon.
Mikati stressed that responsibility for implementing the ceasefire and international resolutions lies with Israel, according to Lebanon’s official NNA news agency.
A joint statement by the US and the European Union, as well as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, described the situation between Israel and Lebanon since October 8 as “Lebanon cannot tolerate.”
The situation “raises an unacceptable risk of broader regional escalation,” they said. “This benefits no one, neither the Israeli people nor the Lebanese people.”
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“Therefore, we call for an immediate ceasefire for 21 days on the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards a diplomatic solution consistent with UNSCR (UN Security Council Resolution) 1701, and the implementation of UNSCR 2735 regarding the ceasefire in Gaza,” he said .
In previous statements, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said the exchange of fire on the Israel-Lebanon border threatened a much wider conflict and caused harm to civilians.
Regional tensions are rising amid deadly Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early Monday that have killed nearly 610 people and injured more than 2,000, according to Lebanese health authorities.
The Hezbollah group in Lebanon and Israel have been involved in a cross-border war since the start of Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.
The international community has warned of an attack on Lebanon, as the attack raises concerns about the regional spread of the Gaza conflict. (I-2)
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