Ceasefire demanded in Middle East – Israel plans ground operation

Hundreds of people are killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, tens of thousands flee. Hezbollah fires rockets – and Hamas also remains a threat. Does diplomacy still have a chance?

After massive Israeli air strikes in Lebanon, the mood in the country is oscillating between fear of a ground offensive and hope for a diplomatic solution. Since the start of the intensive Israeli attacks, more than 600 people have been killed, including dozens of women and children, according to the Lebanese authorities. According to the UN, tens of thousands are fleeing the bombings in Lebanon. While Israel is preparing a ground offensive, a group of states around the USA and Germany, together with important Arab countries, is calling for a pause in the fighting.

The ceasefire demanded should last 21 days and create space for a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the Gaza war that has been going on for almost a year – this is what the joint statement, which is supported by the USA, Germany, the EU, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, says. Its basic message: Diplomacy cannot succeed if the conflict escalates.

The collective call is based on an initiative by the USA and France. US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron had previously declared in a joint statement that it was time for an agreement on the Israeli-Lebanese border that would guarantee security so that civilians could return to their homes.

The group of states’ joint statement is directed at all parties to the conflict, including explicitly at “the governments of Israel and Lebanon.” Whether Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be impressed by this and send a sign of detente in view of his army’s war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is just as questionable as whether the Islamist forces in the region – whose most radical representatives have made the destruction of the Jewish state their mission – will give in.

In the fight against the Shiite militia Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, the Israeli army is mobilizing two more reserve brigades. According to the military, the aim is “operational deployments in the northern area.” Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the army is preparing for a possible ground offensive. Intensive air strikes in the northern neighboring country are a preparation for this, while Hezbollah’s striking power is being reduced. Sources in the Lebanese militia said that their fighters are “ready to oppose any possible ground invasion.”

On Wednesday, Hezbollah fired its first rocket at the greater Tel Aviv area. According to military sources, the missile was intercepted by Israeli missile defense. Hezbollah said the attack was aimed at the headquarters of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad in a suburb of the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. According to military sources, Hezbollah fired a total of around 110 rockets at Israel.

Before leaving for the UN General Assembly in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his so-called security cabinet to discuss how to proceed.

In view of the extremely tense situation in the Middle East, French President Macron and the governments of several countries warned against a full-scale war. “But I think we still have a chance of reaching an agreement that could fundamentally change the entire region,” said US President Joe Biden on the talk show “The View” on the US broadcaster ABC.

In a telephone conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Chancellor Olaf Scholz also called for a diplomatic solution to the armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. According to a spokesman, Scholz underlined the danger of a regional conflagration and stressed that a diplomatic solution was still possible. A ceasefire must be the starting point for implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was passed years ago – this states that Hezbollah must withdraw from the border area with Israel.

Israel’s representatives at the United Nations in New York continued to stress the possibility of a major war. “I want a ceasefire and the return of Israelis to their homes in the north – and southern Lebanese to their homes in southern Lebanon. That is what we all want to achieve,” said Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon. “That will happen either after a war or before a war. We hope it will be before.”