Arab states, US, EU advocate for 21-day ceasefire between Israel, Hezbollah amid escalating tensions

CAIRO – 26 September 2024: A bloc of 12 nations is pressing for a three-week ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, following a surge in Israeli airstrikes this week that have killed over 620 individuals, including women and children.

The initiative, supported by the United States and France, is also endorsed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Canada, and Japan.

A joint statement issued by the bloc emphasized that the situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8, 2023, has become “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”

“This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon.”

🚨#BREAKING: The US and France have made a joint statement calling for an IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE in Lebanon! pic.twitter.com/0f4rR9pED0

— The Saviour (@stairwayto3dom) September 26, 2024

While reports emerged that a ceasefire could be agreed upon as soon as today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the war will continue "with full force."

“The news about a ceasefire - not true. This is an American-French proposal, to which the prime minister did not even respond," said a spokesman for Netanyahu.

The spokesman added that Netanyahu instructed the Israeli army to continue the fighting with full force and according to the plans presented to him.

'Spreading terror'

The call for a ceasefire follows a tense emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Lebanon, during which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that “hell is breaking loose” in Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of “spreading terror and fear” among the Lebanese populace during the UNSC meeting, while Egypt labeled the Israeli assaults on Lebanon as “a full-scale aggression.”

Addressing the meeting, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty denounced Israel for violating Lebanon's sovereignty, a founding member of the UN, resulting in thousands of casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.

“The tragedy that Lebanon is currently experiencing is the result of a shameful failure of the Security Council to assume its responsibility in stopping the war that has been going on for a whole year in Gaza,” Abdelatty stated.

The Egyptian foreign minister urged an immediate and comprehensive cessation of violations of Lebanese sovereignty, alongside an immediate and total ceasefire in Gaza as a prerequisite for restoring stability to the Middle East.

Escalating tensions

Israeli forces intensified their bombardment of Lebanon in the last three days, after a series of deadly explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies orchestrated through a joint operation by Israeli intelligence and the military, killed 42 and injured around 3,500 others, according to Lebanese official figures.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has launched hundreds rockets into northern Israel since the commencement of the Gaza war on October 7, forcing around 60,000 Israelis to evacuate the area.

The recent clashes between Israel and Hezbollah evoke memories of the 2006 war between the two sides, which was sparked by a Hezbollah incursion into Israel resulting in the deaths and capture of Israeli soldiers, before culminating in a ceasefire a month later.