Lebanese PM welcomes US-French truce initiative But refuses to sign ceasefire agreement with Israel

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has expressed support for the US-French initiative aimed at establishing a temporary truce with Israel, viewing it as a potential starting point for negotiations on border issues. However, he clarified that he would not be signing any ceasefire agreements.

During a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and mediator Amos Hochstein, Mikati emphasized the importance of the initiative but did not commit to signing a ceasefire. The Lebanese government office released a statement confirming that any reports claiming otherwise are inaccurate, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

Mikati stated, “We welcome the US and French initiative on Lebanon; now it remains to implement it through Israel's fulfilment of its obligations under United Nations resolutions.”

In an earlier statement, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said the exchange of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border threatens a much broader conflict and harm to civilians.

Regional tensions have escalated amid Israel’s deadly airstrikes on Lebanon since September 23 that have killed nearly 610 people and injured more than 2,000, according to Lebanese health authorities.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the spectre of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.