US thwarts France, UK's efforts for Lebanon ceasefire call at UN, says Israel has 'legitimate problem'

The United States objected to an effort led by France and the United Kingdom to secure a joint statement from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling for a ceasefire in the newly escalating Israel-Lebanon conflict. During the UNSC meeting, Washington actively avoided the suggestion that there was any equivalence of blame for the eruption of the crisis between the two nations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued to maintain that Israel has a “legitimate problem” to solve and blamed Hezbollah for continued rocket attacks into Israeli territory, The Guardian reported. Blinken reiterated his proclamation in a round of morning interviews.

While the US diplomat did not call for a ceasefire in Lebanon, he stated that a diplomatic agreement could be in place to deal with the crisis. Meanwhile, at the G7 dinner on Tuesday, both French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy actively called for a ceasefire to end the fighting that has led to the death of hundreds of people.

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US thwarts any effort for a ceasefire in a bid to appease Israel

In an interview with ABC News, Blinken noted that it was Hezbollah which started the rocket firing into Israel, shortly after Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack.

“People who lived in northern Israel had to flee their homes - homes were destroyed; villages were destroyed - about 70,000 Israelis. Israel started responding. You have Lebanese in southern Lebanon who’ve also had to flee their homes. We want to see people get back to their homes. The best way to do that is through a diplomatic agreement - [one that] pulls the forces back, creates space and security so that people can get back to their homes, kids can get back to school,” Blinken averred.

The remarks from Blinken came after US President Joe Biden told ABC News that “all-out war was possible”. “We’re still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region,” he added after the shocking remarks.

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During his address to the General Assembly, Macron made it clear that any escalation of the conflict needed to be prevented. “There cannot be, must not be war in Lebanon,” he said. Earlier, foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq said in a joint statement: “Israel is pushing the region towards total war.”

Amid the chaos, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib slammed the US and called their approach “not promising”. “It will not solve the Lebanese problem. The US is the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East with regard to Lebanon,” the Lebanese diplomat exclaimed.

With inputs from agencies.