UN human rights office welcomes Israel-Lebanon cease-fire

GENEVA

The UN human rights office on Wednesday welcomed a cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect earlier in the day.

"The UN Human Rights Office welcomes the ceasefire," spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told Anadolu in a statement. "The High Commissioner (Volker Turk) has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to put an end to the killing and destruction."

"Furthermore, he says the only way to end the tragedy impacting innocent people on all sides is an immediate and permanent ceasefire on all fronts: in Lebanon, in Gaza and in Israel," Laurence added.

The cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon came hours after US President Joe Biden said a proposal to end the conflict had been finalized, amid hopes it would stop Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese towns and cities and end the year-long cross-border fighting.

Over 3,800 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.