Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached soon to end the fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah that has rocked his country and sparked fears of a ground invasion, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
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Mikati welcomed the joint call by the United States, France and other countries for a 21-day ceasefire, but said the key to its implementation is whether Israel, which is moving troops closer to Lebanon, is committed to implementing international resolutions.
Asked whether a ceasefire could be secured in the near future, Mikati told Reuters: "I hope so.
Mikati's interim administration includes ministers elected by Hezbollah, which many consider the country's most powerful political force.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Janine Henniss-Plasschert, on Thursday welcomed the call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire to allow diplomacy to succeed.
Meanwhile, the IDF said that overnight, the Israeli Air Force, under the direction of IDF intelligence, struck approximately 75 Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa area and southern Lebanon, "including weapons depots, ready-to-fire launchers, and terrorists".
Israel's military chief told troops that large-scale air strikes in Lebanon targeting the Hezbollah armed group could open the way for them to "enter enemy territory." "You can hear the jets overhead; we've been striking all day. It's both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue to humiliate Hezbollah," said Lieutenant General Herzi Galevi, as quoted by the BBC.
As Reuters points out , the statement by the Israeli military commander-in-chief that a ground assault is possible raises fears that the conflict could trigger a wider war in the Middle East.
Over the past few months, Washington has been working with officials in Israel and Lebanon to reduce the level of fighting, a senior Biden administration official said.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told reporters before a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday that Israel would welcome a ceasefire and would prefer a diplomatic solution. He then told the Security Council that Iran is a hotbed of violence in the region, and peace requires the threat to be eliminated.