UN secretary general calls for ceasefire in Lebanon

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has landed in Beirut today for “a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon”.

During a short news conference, he calledon Hezbollah and Israel to negotiate a ceasefire “to stop the war and pave the way to find a solution to allow Lebanon to become a country independent, with sovereignty and territorial integrity respected”, adding that this “is no longer the time of armed groups. This is a time of strong states.”

“Lebanon was dragged into a war that is not a war that its people would be willing to have,” he said. “I sincerely hope that in my next visit to Lebanon, I’ll be able to visit a Lebanon in peace.”