While the Israeli army announced yesterday that it was preparing “a possible entry” into Lebanon to strike Hezbollah, against which its air force is carrying out new deadly strikes after intercepting a missile fired at Tel Aviv, several countries including France and the United States called for a 21-day ceasefire in the evening. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes that Lebanon is “on the brink of the abyss.”
Key information to remember
⇒ Several countries including France and the United States call for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon
⇒ Israeli army chief tells soldiers to prepare for “possible entry” into Lebanon
⇒ UN chief worries Lebanon could ‘become another Gaza’
Several countries including France and the United States call for a 21-day ceasefire
The United States, France, the European Union and several Arab countries called on Wednesday for an “immediate 21-day ceasefire” in Lebanon where the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to engulf the region, according to a joint statement released by the White House. “We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border to give diplomacy a chance” in relation to the situation in Lebanon and Gaza, said the statement signed by the United States, France, the EU, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. “It is time to reach a diplomatic agreement to allow civilians on both sides of the border to return home safely.”
In a separate joint statement issued after their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said they had “worked together in recent days” to reach the joint call. “We call for broad endorsement and immediate support from the governments of Israel and Lebanon,” they said.
Israeli army chief tells soldiers to prepare for ‘possible entry’ into Lebanon
“We attack all day long […] to prepare the area for the possibility of your entry […] and continue to strike Hezbollah,” Israeli army chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi told soldiers on Wednesday on the border with Lebanon, where the army is stepping up strikes after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israeli territory.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon later assured that his country would prefer to use diplomatic channels to secure its northern border with Lebanon but that “if diplomacy fails to allow our people to return to their homes, then we will use all means at our disposal, in accordance with international law.” “If we can achieve it through diplomacy, it would be better for Israel, it would be better for Lebanon,” Danny Danon said.
For the moment, the situation seems to be at an impasse: Hezbollah is making the cessation of hostilities with Israel conditional on a ceasefire in Gaza, while Israel intends to destroy the military apparatus of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
UN chief worries Lebanon ‘becoming another Gaza’
“Hell is breaking loose in Lebanon,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday, during an emergency Security Council meeting on Israeli strikes against Hezbollah. “We must all be alarmed by the escalation, Lebanon is on the brink,” he insisted, repeating that “the world cannot let Lebanon become another Gaza.”
Earlier Wednesday, Joe Biden warned that a “generalized war is possible” in the Middle East, while Emmanuel Macron called “strongly on Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon and on Hezbollah to stop the shootings.” Israel cannot “without consequences, extend its operations in Lebanon,” the French president said.