US and allies call for immediate cease-fire between Israel, Hezbollah

Associated Press New York: The US, France and other allies jointly called on Wednesday for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days. The joint statement, negotiated on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation”.

“We call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy,” the statement said. “We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary cease-fire immediately." There was no immediate reaction from the Lebanese side or Hezbollah but senior US officials said all parties were aware of the call for a cease-fire. Netanyahu's Office said that the ceasefire put forward from the United States and France was only a proposal and the Prime Minister, who is currently on a flight en route to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, has not responded to the proposal.Earlier, representatives for Israel and Lebanon reiterated their support for a UN resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and the Iranianbacked militant group.

Netanyahu's office plays down call for cease fire Tel Aviv: The office of Benjamin Netanyahu said the cease-fire called on by the United States, France and other allies is only a proposal, and that the Israeli prime minister, who is on a flight en route to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, has not responded to it.The US and its allies jointly called Wednesday for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.