The international community is mobilizing. After an intense diplomatic sequence at the UN, France and the United States called on Wednesday, September 25, for a temporary 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. This request is supported by the European Union, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. “It is time to reach a settlement on the Israeli-Lebanese border that guarantees security and allows civilians to return to their homes”write US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in a joint statement released after their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Follow our live coverage.
More than 70 dead in Lebanon on Wednesday. Israeli strikes killed 72 people on Wednesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said in a new report. They caused the death of 38 people in the south of the country, 12 in the Bekaa region (east) and 22 in three cities north and south of Beirut, according to the ministry, which added that nearly 400 people were injured.
Iran’s warning. The Middle East is “on the brink of total catastrophe”Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday. “If the situation is not brought under control, the world will face catastrophic consequences”he warned ahead of the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. He also assured that Tehran would support Lebanon “by all means” in the event of an escalation of the Israeli offensive.
Israel says it prefers the diplomatic route. The Hebrew state claims that it would use “all means to [sa] provision, in compliance with international law”, “to allow [ses] residents to return home”said Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the UN. “If we can achieve it through diplomacy, it would be better for Israel, it would be better for Lebanon.”he added.