US, France and allies call for 21-day ceasefire across Israel-Lebanon border

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, France and some of their allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border while also expressing support for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint statement of the countries released by the White House late on Wednesday.

"The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8th, 2023 is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation," the joint statement said.

"Thus we call for an immediate 21 day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement," it added.

The statement came from the U.S., France, the European Union, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, among some other partner nations. It called on the governments of Israel and Lebanon to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately.

"We have had those discussions for quite some time," a senior U.S. official later told reporters, adding Washington and its allies were aiming to convert those discussions into a broader agreement during this 21 day ceasefire period.

Opening up diplomatic space in Lebanon during this 21 day period will hopefully also open up space for potential for a ceasefire in Gaza which has remained elusive for months, the senior U.S. official added.

Israel's war in Gaza, after a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants, has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, displaced nearly everyone there and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.

The hostilities between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group have raised fears of a regional war. Israel widened its airstrikes in Lebanon on Wednesday and killed dozens.

Israeli airstrikes this week have targeted Hezbollah militant leaders and hit hundreds of sites deep inside Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands have fled the border region, while the group has fired barrages of rockets into Israel. Scores have been killed in Lebanon.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Eric Beech and Stephen Coates)