The United States, France and some of their allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border while also expressing support for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint statement of the countries released by the White House late on Wednesday.
Intensive contacts are taking place at the United Nations in New York, where Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to arrive on Thursday to address the general assembly.
“The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8th, 2023 is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation,” the joint statement said.
“Thus 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,” it added.
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The statement came from the US, France, the European Union, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, among some other partner nations. It called on the governments of Israel and Lebanon to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately.
Iran, which backs Hizbullah, is also reportedly involved in diplomatic talks as it seeks to avoid a wider regional conflagration.
“An all-out war is possible, but I think there’s also the opportunity – we’re still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region,” US president Joe Biden told ABC.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament, said that the next 24 hours will be decisive in reaching a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hizbullah. Mr Berri said he is making “great efforts” in co-ordination with the US and Lebanon’s prime minister, Najib Mikati, who is in New York.
[ Israel and Hizbullah carry lessons of 2006 stalemate into battleOpens in new window ]
Speaking with NBC, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that Washington supports “solving the problem of making sure that people can go home. But we believe the best way to solve it is through diplomacy, not through war”.
Mr Blinken said a Gaza ceasefire is now a question of political will.
“I don’t think this is a question really any more of the substance of the agreement, because it’s very close. It is a question of political will,” he said.
“In the first instance, that political will needs to be demonstrated by Hamas. We haven’t seen it the last couple of weeks. Israel would have some hard decisions to make to bring this to a close, but we’ve got to see if Hamas is actually serious,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israel is maintaining its military pressure on Lebanon. The Israel Defence Forces on Wednesday called up two reserve brigades for “operational missions in Israel’s northern sector” in a move seen as preparation for a possible ground invasion of south Lebanon.
Israel’s top general, Lieut Gen Herzi Halevi, alluded to the possibility of a ground operation, addressing troops on the northern border on Wednesday.
“You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day. This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hizbullah,” he said. “We are not stopping; we keep striking and hitting them everywhere. The goal is very clear – to safely return the residents of the north.”
His comments came after a further escalation, early on Wednesday morning, when a missile fired from Lebanon was intercepted over Tel Aviv, the first attack on the area by Hizbullah. Hizbullah said the target was Mossad headquarters, located just north of the city.
US national security council spokesperson John Kirby called the attack “deeply concerning”, adding it is “evidence again . . . that Israel is facing a legitimate threat from a terrorist group backed by Iran”.
“No nation should have to live with these threats right across their border, right next door,” he added.
Throughout Wednesday Israel continued to pound Hizbullah targets, striking some 280 sites, including rocket launchers, Hizbullah fighters, weapon depots and Hizbullah intelligence targets.
The United Nations says more than 90,000 people have been displaced by five days of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, and some 200,000 since militants began firing into the Galilee on October 8th, a day after the Hamas attack on Israel from Gaza. Some 63,000 Israelis living close to the Lebanese border have also fled their homes. – Additional reporting: Reuters
