The US and its allies are calling for an immediate 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The United States, France and other allies made the request This Wednesday, collectively, an “immediate” 21-day ceasefire will allow negotiations to begin A growing conflict between Israel and the political paramilitary group HezbollahIt has caused more than 600 deaths in Lebanon in recent days.

The Joint Declaration, negotiated within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, The recent conflicts are “intolerable and present an unacceptable risk A vast territorial expansion.”

“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire on the Lebanese-Israeli border, allowing for diplomacy,” the statement said. “We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to immediately support a temporary ceasefire.”

So far, there has been no reaction from the Israeli and Lebanese governments, or from Hezbollah.But senior US officials said all sides were aware of the ceasefire call and would comment in the coming hours. However, Israel continued its bombing campaign against different points in southern and eastern Lebanon early Thursday morning.

Officials said Hezbollah would not be a party to the ceasefire, but they hoped the Lebanese government would coordinate with the group to accept it. They indicated that they hoped Israel would “welcome” the motion and possibly formally adopt it when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the General Assembly on Friday.

Although the cease-fire call applies only to the Israel-Lebanon border, senior U.S. officials said they wanted to use the three-week pause to resume stalled talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at reaching a hostage-release deal and a cease-fire and hostage release agreement.

This Wednesday, a new wave of Israeli attacks killed at least 50 people in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv.

Countries calling for an immediate ceasefire include: United States, Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

U.S. officials said President Joe Biden’s National Security Council, led by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, worked with allies to reach an agreement.

The leaders, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said the deal was finalized Wednesday afternoon during a meeting between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“We hope to accept both sides without delay,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barot told the UN. said during a special meeting of the Security Council.

Barrett noted that France, Lebanon’s former colonial power and the United States had consulted with the parties on “the final parameters of a diplomatic solution to this crisis”.War is inevitable.”

Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, encouraged the Security Council to support diplomatic efforts, but did not provide details on the plan.

“We are working with other countries on a plan that we believe will lead to peace and enable talks toward a diplomatic solution,” he announced.

A few hours earlier, Blinken announced that Washington was “actively engaging with multiple partners to de-escalate tensions in Lebanon and work toward a ceasefire agreement that will bring many benefits to all involved.”

Blinken and other Biden advisers spent the past three days at the UN General Assembly and on the sidelines of the annual meeting of world leaders in New York to press other countries to support the plan, US officials said. Able to discuss important diplomatic conversations.

Blinken raised the proposal with the French foreign minister on Monday, then expanded his contacts at a dinner with the foreign ministers of the G-7 industrialized democracies later that evening.

During a meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers on Wednesday morning, Blingen sought his approval from Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, which he received. Next, Blinken and White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to get approval.

Blinken is due to meet Netanyahu’s top strategic adviser in New York on Thursday ahead of the prime minister’s visit.

The Lebanese National News Agency (ANN) reported early Thursday that Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes against a dozen towns located in the eastern Bekaa Valley, one of the strongholds of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Surroundings of the northeastern city of Hermel were also subject to “several night attacks,” although most were concentrated in southern Lebanon, where “the Israeli enemy continued its bloody occupation day and night,” ANN reported, citing heavy displacement. have occurred from that area.