A senior UN official calls on all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to „accept a ceasefire,“ as new Israeli strikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs which are a Hezbollah stronghold. „I welcome the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities and urge the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of UNSCR 1701,“ Muhannad Hadi tells the Security Council on behalf of UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland, referring to a resolution adopted in 2006 to end regional violence. SOUNDBITE