Israel and Iran are undermining US peace efforts, Lebanese envoy tells UN Security Council
NEW YORK CITY: Lebanon’s permanent representative to the UN, Ahmad Arafa, accused both Israel and Iran on Wednesday of actively undermining US-brokered efforts to end the conflict in his country, as he told the Security Council that “the cost of diplomacy is always lower than the cost of war.”
He said Lebanon’s government remains engaged in ongoing discussions with Israel, facilitated by Washington through an initiative launched by President Donald Trump on March 9, with the aim of ending what he described as “devastating Israeli aggression,” concluding the occupation of Lebanese territory by Israel, and restoring the country’s full sovereignty.
But despite Beirut’s commitment to the diplomatic process, Israel’s conduct on the ground was working against it, he added.
Arafa also called out Iran directly, noting that authorities in Tehran had publicly rejected a June 3 ceasefire agreement, a move he characterized as “a stark statement of interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”
