UN calls on parties to 'accept a ceasefire' in Lebanon
The violence follows top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell calling for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday and after a US envoy said last week that a deal was within grasp.
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Zaita on 23 September 2024. The Israeli military on September 23 told people in Lebanon to move away from Hezbollah targets and vowed to carry out more 'extensive and precise' strikes against the Iran-backed group. Picture: AFP
UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES - A senior UN official on Monday called on all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to "accept a ceasefire," as new Israeli strikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
The violence follows top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell calling for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday and after a US envoy said last week that a deal was within grasp.
"The situation remains grave across the region," senior envoy Muhannad Hadi told the Security Council on behalf of UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland.
"Israeli military operations continued across the Blue Line with Lebanon, as did the firing of rockets by Hezbollah toward Israel, including a barrage this weekend," he said.
"I welcome the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities and urge the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of UNSCR 1701," Hadi said in the remarks.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and stipulates that only UN peacekeeping forces and the Lebanese army can be deployed in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has maintained a presence in the region, however, and Israel has been conducting ground operations against the Iran-backed militant and political group since 30 September.