Intensive efforts made to achieve ceasefire in Lebanon

Beirut (The Uttam Hindu): The United Nations has "made intensive efforts with all parties" to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon, a senior UN official said. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for peace operations, made the remarks in a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut, according to a statement by the Lebanese Council of Ministers released on Tuesday. During the meeting, Lacroix stressed that his visit to Lebanon aims to express solidarity with the country and its people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the UN official highlighted the importance of implementing UN Resolution 1701, as well as the cooperation between the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army to address the situation in southern Lebanon. For his part, Mikati thanked Lacroix for his visit and expressed his appreciation to UNIFIL forces for their insistence on their mission despite the current difficult circumstances. He added that the Lebanese government "is committed to implementing Resolution 1701 and supports full cooperation between the army and UNIFIL".

Since September 23, the Israeli army has been launching an intensive air attack on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah. In early October, Israel initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon. In recent weeks, Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon, resulting in injuries to peacekeepers and drawing international criticism.