RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi stressed the urgency of a ceasefire across the southern borders of Lebanon to avoid a larger conflict in the Middle East. In a press release on Sunday, he urged the warring parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect the safety of civilians, and avoid sliding into a regional conflict and expanding the cycle of violence.

Renewing the firm support of the GCC member states for “the brotherly people” of Lebanon, the Secretary-General called for speeding up the presidential elections and carrying out the necessary economic reforms to improve the living conditions of the people. He recalled the GCC ministerial declaration calling for full implementation of the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the Taif Accord regarding respect for the sovereignty and territorial safety of Lebanon. Al-Budawi’s statement came in response to fierce attacks by the Zionist occupation forces on south Lebanon and other parts of the country that resulted in thousands of casualties, extensive material damage, and nearly one million displaced people.

Meanwhile, the Arab League expressed solidarity with Lebanon and its people during the current hardship, urging the international community to stand with them against the Zionist aggression targeting civil areas. The league’s director, General Ahmad Abul-Gheit, stated that he was following the situation in Lebanon with great concern, condemning the continuous series of Zionist attacks on Lebanon, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries and displacing about a million people.

He stressed that violating the country’s sovereignty in that way may lead to the expansion of the conflict, adding that a diplomatic solution is still possible in accordance with Resolution 1701, which the Lebanese government has repeatedly declared its commitment to. Abul-Gheit affirmed that the Lebanese people have suffered a lot in the past years and that they need today more than ever to have the international community stand by them and support them. UNSC Resolution 1701 is a resolution that was intended to resolve the 2006 Lebanon War. — KUNA