UN chief welcomes Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, his spokesman said in a statement.

The UN chief hopes that this agreement can put an end to the violence, destruction and suffering the people of both countries have been experiencing, the spokesman said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Guterres urges the parties to fully respect and swiftly implement all of their commitments made under this agreement, and undertake immediate steps towards full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) both stand ready to support the implementation of this agreement, in line with their respective mandates, the statement said.

The UN Secretary-General's statement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the nation's security cabinet approved a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. The ceasefire is expected to take effect on Wednesday morning.

In a separate statement, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said that the ceasefire agreement marks the starting point of a critical process to restore the safety and security that civilians on both sides of the Blue Line deserve.

"Now is the time to deliver, through concrete actions, to consolidate today's achievement," she said.