United Nations, May 17 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement of a 45-day extension of the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, said his press office.
Guterres reaffirmed the support of the world body to all efforts to end hostilities and alleviate the suffering of communities on both sides of the Blue Line, a border demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel established by the United Nations in 2000, said the press office in a note to correspondents, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The secretary-general urges all actors to fully respect the cessation of hostilities, cease any further attacks and comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, at all times,” said the press office.
The United Nations is committed to supporting all diplomatic efforts to advance the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which is intended to resolve the 2006 Lebanon War fought between Hezbollah and Israel, it said.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire that took effect last month, a spokesperson for the US State Department said.
“The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said on X on Friday (local time).
Israel and Lebanon will resume political negotiations at the US State Department on June 2-3, while their military delegates are set to launch parallel security talks at the Pentagon on May 29, Piggott said.
The two countries held their third round of direct talks here on Thursday and Friday, which Piggott described as “highly productive.”
Despite the ceasefire, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have continued. Israeli strikes killed at least nine people and wounded dozens in southern Lebanon on Friday.
Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli drones, troops, military bulldozers, and a Merkava tank in several areas of southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center said that Israeli attacks between March 2 and May 15 killed 2,951 people and wounded 8,988 others.
During the talks, Israel was represented by its ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and senior security officials, while Lebanon’s delegation included its ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam.
–IANS
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