LEBANON: The United States, France and several allies have called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border while also expressing support for a ceasefire in Gaza following intense discussions at the United Nations, Reuters reports.

The ceasefire would apply to the Israel-Lebanon “Blue Line”, the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, and would allow the parties to negotiate towards a potential diplomatic resolution of the conflict, a senior Biden administration official said.

“We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately,” according to a joint statement of the countries released by the White House.

The allies that signed the joint statement included Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the European Union.

Over the last several months, Washington has been engaging with officials in Israel and Lebanon to reduce hostilities, the senior White House official said.

The official said Biden had been focused on the possibility of a ceasefire “in almost every conversation he had with world leaders” at the UN General Assembly this week.