The United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar have jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
The statement, published on the British government’s website, emphasized that “the situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8th is untenable and poses an unacceptable risk of further escalation in the region. This serves no one’s interests, neither the Israeli people nor the Lebanese people,” affirming that “it is time for a political settlement that allows civilians on both sides of the border to return safely to their homes.”
It was noted that “diplomacy cannot succeed amidst an escalation in this conflict,” calling for “an immediate 21-day ceasefire along the Lebanese-Israeli border to allow for diplomacy aimed at reaching a diplomatic settlement in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, and to lead to the immediate implementation of Security Council Resolution 2735 concerning the ceasefire in Gaza.”
The statement urged “all parties, including the Israeli and Lebanese governments, to endorse the ceasefire temporarily in line with Resolution 1701 during this period, giving a real chance for a diplomatic settlement,” asserting “our readiness to support all diplomatic efforts immediately to reach an agreement between Lebanon and Israel during this period, building on the efforts made over the past months to put an end to this crisis entirely.”
Since September 23, Israel has launched its fiercest aggression on Lebanon since the onset of confrontations with “Hezbollah” nearly a year ago. According to the latest update from the Disaster Management Unit of the Ministry of Health, “the toll of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon since October 8, 2023, has risen to 1928 martyrs and 9290 injured.”
Israel assassinated Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and others in an air raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 27.
