The United States, the European Union, and a number of Western and Arab countries issued a joint call on Wednesday to establish a “temporary ceasefire” in Lebanon, where the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to drag the region into a large-scale war.

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint statement, “We have worked together in recent days on a joint call for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalation across the border,” noting that “the statement we negotiated now has the support of the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot revealed during an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Wednesday a joint proposal with the United States to establish a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon to prevent the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah from developing into a full-scale war.

"In recent days, we have been working with our American partners on a temporary ceasefire for 21 days to allow for negotiations," Barrot said during the session, which was held at his country's request. He added that this proposal "will be announced quickly and we are counting on both parties accepting it."

The French minister stressed that the outbreak of a comprehensive war between Israel and Hezbollah "is not inevitable" provided that all parties engage "firmly" in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict. Barrot warned that "the situation in Lebanon today threatens to reach a point of no return." He added that "the tensions between Hezbollah and Israel today threaten to push the region into a comprehensive conflict whose consequences are unpredictable." The French minister recalled that Lebanon has been suffering from a state of "great weakness" since before the current escalation due to the political and economic crisis it is struggling with, and warned that if "a war breaks out, it will not recover from it."

The current situation between Hezbollah and Israel appears to have reached a dead end, as the Iranian-backed armed party demands that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza cease in order to stop its attacks on the Hebrew state, which demands that it withdraw from its borders in order to stop its attacks against it. In his speech before the UN Security Council, the French minister said, "Let us take advantage of the presence of many leaders in New York to impose a diplomatic solution and break the cycle of violence." This French-American initiative comes after intensive discussions held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, and after a bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

The White House announced that Biden met Macron in New York "to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah and prevent a wider war." This meeting came after Biden warned that the outbreak of a "comprehensive war" in the Middle East is "possible," while Macron called on "Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon and Hezbollah to stop the fire."

"We urge Israel to stop this escalation in Lebanon, and we urge Hezbollah to stop firing rockets at Israel. We urge anyone who provides Hezbollah with the means to do so to stop," the French president said from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly, while considering that the Hebrew state "cannot expand its operations in Lebanon without consequences." Macron stressed in his speech that "there can be no war in Lebanon."

These warnings coincided with the Israeli army's announcement on Wednesday that it was preparing to launch a possible ground attack on Lebanon to strike Hezbollah, which is increasing its bombing of Israeli territory day after day. On Wednesday, Israeli air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Hezbollah towards Tel Aviv, in an unprecedented move since the conflict between the two parties began about a year ago, as the Iranian-backed party has never before fired a ballistic missile at the Hebrew state, and it is the first time it has directed its fire towards Tel Aviv.

At the start of the Security Council session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the current escalation between Israel and Hezbollah "opens the gates of hell in Lebanon," stressing that "diplomatic efforts have intensified to reach a temporary ceasefire." For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned before the start of the meeting that the Middle East is "on the brink of a comprehensive catastrophe," stressing that his country will support Lebanon "by all means." In contrast, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said that the Hebrew state prefers to use diplomatic channels to secure its northern border with Lebanon, but will use "all available means" if diplomacy fails to reach an agreement with Hezbollah.