Israel-Hezbollah live updates: UK joins calls for 21-day ceasefire

A senior Western diplomat has said a peace deal being sought by the US on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting would include an Israeli announcement of an end to major hostilities in Gaza, followed by a push for a ceasefire in Lebanon and then a political deal involving a demarcation of the contentious Israeli-Lebanese land border.

The diplomat said that could provide an “off-ramp” for Hezbollah to avoid a full-scale war with Israel.

The senior Lebanese official and the source familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking said Hezbollah was open to any settlement that included both Gaza and Lebanon.

A second Lebanese official said it would be impossible to stop the conflicts without a package that covered both.

Discussions have focused on what would initially be a “pause” in Israel-Hezbollah hostilities and a restart of stalled indirect Israel-Hamas negotiations, according to a US source in Washington.

Australia has urged its 15,000 citizens in Lebanon to leave due to the escalating conflict, warning that Beirut airport may close soon.

With Israel intensifying airstrikes and the possibility of a ground assault, Australia is preparing contingency plans, potentially including evacuations by sea, according to Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.

He, however, refused to give more details on the evacuation plan.

“We’re looking at every option, but there’s obviously national security issues,” he told Sky News in an interview.

“Given the large numbers we are talking about, this situation will be difficult to resolve,” Mr Albanese said on ABC Television.

“We’ve been meeting on this through appropriate bodies over a period of time, including engaging with our friends and allies,” he added.

Foreign minister Penny Wong also said there is a risk Beirut airport may close for an extended period, and urged Australians who live in Lebanon — around 15,000 — to leave now.

The UK has joined the US, France and a host of allies in calling for an immediate temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, warning the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah is “intolerable”.

In a joint statement, the 12-strong bloc calls for a 21-day ceasefire “to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement”, as well as a ceasefire in Gaza.

The statement says: “The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8th, 2023 is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation. This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon.

“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.

“Diplomacy however cannot succeed amid an escalation of this conflict.”

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It comes as 700 British troops are being sent to Cyprus to prepare for a possible evacuation of up to 10,000 Britons from Lebanon.

The Foreign Office says: “FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Lebanon. If you are currently in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave, while commercial options remain available.

“Tensions are high and events could escalate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon. In the event of deterioration in the political or security situation, commercial routes out of Lebanon could be severely disrupted or cancelled at short notice, and roads across the country could be closed. “Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign Office.

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Senior US officials have said that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border is expected to take effect “in the coming hours”, Sky News reported.

One administration official was quoted as saying by the outlet: “The ceasefire will be for 21 days along the blue line (demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights).

“During those 21 days, the parties will negotiate towards a potential resolution of the conflict that has been ongoing since Hezbollah launched the attack on October 8, and to reach a comprehensive agreement along the blue line that allows for residents to return to their home in both Lebanon and Israel.”

The US and France have called for a 21-day ceasefire to negotiate a broader resolution to the conflict.

“It buys some time and space to try to pursue an arrangement in Gaza along the lines of the hostage deal we’ve been discussing,” the US official said.

He continued: “We believe, regardless of what has happened on the battlefield over the last several days, the moment we feel is now to achieve that diplomatic resolution; to get there.”

US secretary of state Antony Blinken defended Israel’s right to seek security by removing Hezbollah from its northern borders after the militant group began firing rockets into Israel.

“Israel’s got a legitimate problem here. Starting on 8 October, Hezbollah in the north, from southern Lebanon, started lobbing rockets and missiles into Israel,” he said. “People living in northern Israel had to flee their homes – about 70,000 – and Israel understandably, legitimately, wants a secure environment so people can return home.”

He added: “The best way to get that is through diplomacy, an agreement to pull back forces, allow people to return home in northern Israel – also many Lebanese in southern Lebanon forced from their homes. We want to get people back home. The best way to do that is not war; it’s diplomacy.”

Meanwhile, the Lebanese foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, called the US’s approach “not promising”. He said: “The US is the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East with regard to Lebanon.”

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned that “hell is breaking loose in Lebanon” as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, with exchanges of fire intensifying along the UN-patrolled border.

In a statement, Mr Guterres urged both sides to respect Lebanese sovereignty and called for Lebanon to have “full control of its weapons” throughout the country.

Nearly 200,000 Lebanese and over 60,000 northern Israelis have been displaced since Hezbollah began launching rockets across the border in support of Hamas in Gaza. Hundreds have been killed in the escalating conflict.

The communities on both sides “must be able to return to their homes and live in safety and security, without fear”, the secretary-general said.

“Civilians must be protected. Civilian infrastructure most not be targeted…To all sides, let us say in one clear voice: stop the killing and destruction. Tone down the rhetoric and threats. Step back from the brink,” he said.

Israel’s top general has indicated that the country is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon, as airstrikes targeting Hezbollah continue into a third day.

Israel’s chief of staff, Maj Gen Herzi Halevi told Israeli troops during a visit to the country’s north: “We are preparing the process of a manoeuvre, which means your military boots, your manoeuvring boots, will enter enemy territory, enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts, with underground infrastructure, staging points and launchpads into our territory [from which to] carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.”

Mr Halevi’s remarks come as the US increased pressure for a pause in the fighting, with Joe Biden warning of the urgent need to prevent an “all-out war” in the region.

“An all-out war is possible,” the US president told ABC, adding that he believed an opportunity also existed “to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region”.

The US and France have called for a 21-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to create space for broader negotiations and prevent a larger conflict. This follows a heavy three-day Israeli bombing campaign in Lebanon that has killed over 600 people.

The ceasefire proposal, endorsed by several global powers — like Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — aims to allow civilians to return to their homes on the Israel-Lebanon border safely. It does not, however, apply to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The joint statement issued by Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron said: “It is time for a settlement on the Israel-Lebanon border that ensures safety and security to enable civilians to return to their homes. The exchange of fire since October 7th, and in particular over the past two weeks, threatens a much broader conflict, and harm to civilians.”

The two leaders said they worked on a temporary ceasefire “to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations across the border”.