United Nations | The United Nations chief welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, and hopes it can end the violence and suffering of people in both countries, the UN spokesman says.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Hezbollah to swiftly implement all commitments under the agreement, and take immediate steps toward fully implementing the 2006 UN Security Council resolution that ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said late Tuesday.

Resolution 1701 called for the deployment of Lebanese forces throughout the south, which borders Israel and is now mainly controlled by Hezbollah, and it calls for all armed groups including Hezbollah to be disarmed. Neither has happened in the past 17 years.

Dujarric said UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon “both stand ready to support the implementation of this agreement, in line with their respective mandates.”