France called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss developments in Lebanon, while the United States announced that it is preparing to submit “concrete proposals” to contain the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York last night that “France calls on the parties and those who support them to stop the escalation and avoid a regional fire that would be devastating for everyone, starting with the civilian population.”
“That’s why I called for an emergency Security Council meeting on Lebanon this week,” he added, and “at this moment my thoughts are with the Lebanese people as Israeli airstrikes have just caused hundreds of civilian casualties, including dozens of children.”
He stressed that “these strikes that are being carried out on both sides of the Blue Line and more broadly in the entire region must stop immediately.”
A senior US State Department official told AFP: “We
have concrete ideas that we will be discussing with our allies and partners this week to try to find a way forward on this.”
He added that the United States is seeking to find “a way out that primarily prevents further escalation of the fighting and I cannot recall, at least in recent memory, a period where escalation or intensification has led to a substantial calming and has led to significant stability of the situation.”
The US official expressed his hope that the US proposals would allow “a de-escalation of tensions and a transition to a diplomatic process that would allow communities on both sides of the border, on both sides of the Blue Line, to safely return to their homes in the near future.”
The official did not want to explained the “concrete ideas” in detail, but indicated that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior US officials would discuss them during meetings to be held on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
The US official reiterated the US opposition to an Israeli ground in
vasion of Lebanon, saying: “We certainly do not believe that a ground invasion of Lebanon would contribute to reducing tensions in the region.”
Since Monday morning, the Israeli occupation army has been launching an attack that is “the most violent, extensive and intensive” on Lebanon since the beginning of the confrontations with Hezbollah about a year ago, resulting in the killing of 492 people and the injury of 1,645, including children and women, according to a preliminary toll announced by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency