UN calls for de-escalation of hostilities at Lebanese-Israeli border
Apr 11, 2024
Beirut [Lebanon], April 11: At the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the United Nations has reiterated its call for de-escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
"For the end of Ramadan, on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr, UNIFIL calls for a return to the cessation of hostilities, and a move towards a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict," the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7, there have been daily, sometimes deadly, confrontations between Israel's army and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. Civilians were also killed in both countries as a result of mutual shelling.
Since October, UNIFIL has continued to call on the parties involved to respect their commitments under the UN Resolution 1701 adopted during the 2006 Lebanon war, which calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, among other things.
UNIFIL has been monitoring the border area between the two countries since 1978. There was hope around the world that a ceasefire in the Gaza war would be achieved by the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr on Wednesday, which could also have affected the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
So far, however, the outcome of the current, indirect negotiations between Israel and Palestinian organisation Hamas regarding a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza is uncertain.
Source: Qatar Tribune
