US, allies urge Israel and Lebanon to agree to 21-day cease-fire amid escalating tensions

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US, European Union and nine other nations urged Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday to agree to a temporary cease-fire amid escalating tensions on their borders.

In a joint statement, the US, Australia, Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar described the situation between the two nations as "intolerable" since Oct. 8.

The situation "presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation," they said. "This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon.”

The statement said it is time to finalize a diplomatic settlement for the civilians to return to their homes.

"Diplomacy however cannot succeed amid an escalation of this conflict," said the statement.

"Thus we call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement consistent with UNSCR 1701, and the implementation of UNSCR 2735 regarding a cease-fire in Gaza," it said.

"We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary cease-fire immediately consistent with UNSCR 1701 during this period and to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement," the statement said.

They also said they are prepared to fully support all diplomatic efforts to conclude an agreement between Lebanon and Israel within this period.

In an earlier statement, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said the exchange of fire threatens a much broader conflict and harm to civilians.

"We therefore have worked together in recent days on a joint call for a temporary cease-fire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations across the border," it said.

"We call for broad endorsement and for the immediate support of the governments of Israel and Lebanon," said the statement.

Regional tensions have escalated amid Israel’s deadly airstrikes on Lebanon since early Monday that have killed nearly 610 people and injured more than 2,000, according to Lebanese health authorities.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.