Mikati says Blinken informed him of major efforts to reach a ceasefire

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday urged the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Mikati told reporters the foreign ministry would ask the U.N. Security Council to issue a resolution demanding a "full and immediate ceasefire" and that his government was committed to Resolution 1701 which was adopted in 2006 and called for the Lebanese army and peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed in the south of the country.

Mikati also revealed that he has received a call from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “The call was aimed at seriously seeking a ceasefire and we found complete solidarity with Lebanon.”

“There is a great effort to reach a ceasefire,” he added.

“We are ready to strengthen our army's presence on the southern border,” Mikati declared, saying that “the international community must pressure Israel to implement Resolution 1701.”

“My demand is a ceasefire and halting the targeting of civilians. Where is humanity? We launch an outcry of conscience to the world,” he said.

Responding to a question about the deadly airstrikes that targeted the heart of Beirut on Thursday, Mikati revealed that Israel lowered the intensity of its airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in recent days following international efforts.

Separately, Mikati called for a new president who would be “accepted by all Lebanese.”