Britain says priority to achieving Gaza cease-fire

BEIRUT

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Thursday that priority should be given to achieving a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip “as a precursor to advancing subsequent stages of resolution."

Cameron made the statement during a meeting with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut in the capital Beirut.

Both officials discussed de-escalation efforts in southern Lebanon and ways of reaching political and diplomatic solutions, Mikati’s office said in a statement.

Mikati underlined Lebanon's commitment “to peaceful resolutions in the region and emphasized the pivotal role of British support in advancing this direction," the statement said.

He also reiterated his country's "adherence to international resolutions, notably Resolution 1701, and the importance of continued cooperation between the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL.”

On Aug. 11, 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, which calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.

The UN resolution calls for Israel to withdraw behind the Blue Line and disarmament of the region between this line and the Litani River in Lebanon, allowing only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah since October, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, which left at least 27,019 Palestinians dead and 66,139 others injured. Israel says nearly 1,200 people have been killed in the Hamas attack.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar