The United States and several allies on Wednesday called for an immediate, 21-day ceasefire in escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.
“The situation in Lebanon and Israel after 8 October 2023 is intolerable and poses an unacceptable risk of escalating broader regional tensions,” the report said. Joint Statement The announcements were made by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Qatar.
“This is not in the interest of anyone, neither the Israeli nor the Lebanese people,” the statement continued.
“The time has come to conclude a diplomatic solution that allows civilians on both sides of the border to return safely to their homes.”
The United States and its allies argued that “diplomacy cannot succeed in the midst of this escalating conflict.”
“We therefore call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanese-Israeli border to allow space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic solution,” they demanded.
The statement came after days of massive bombings in Lebanon that killed more than 600 people, including several top Hezbollah commanders.
The attack was the worst in Lebanon in two decades and raised fears of an all-out war between Israel and its northern neighbour.
The Israeli and Lebanese governments did not immediately respond to the ceasefire calls. Associated Press.
So did Iranian-backed terrorist groups.
According to the media report, senior U.S. officials said all parties were aware of the ceasefire request and that while Hezbollah would not sign the agreement, it could accept the terms if the Lebanese government was convinced.
Officials said they expected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “welcome” the proposal in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Friday.
Tens of thousands of people have already fled southern Lebanon and northern Israel due to an exchange of missile attacks in the nearly year since Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli officials have previously suggested a ceasefire could be reached if Hezbollah agrees to stop firing first.
The terrorist group said it would continue its attacks in solidarity with Hamas, vowing to avenge last week's mass explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies that killed nearly 40 people and injured more than 3,000.
