"We call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy," the statement said.

"We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately."

The nations calling for a ceasefire include the US, Australia, Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Robert Wood, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, encouraged the council to support the diplomatic efforts but didn't offer specifics about the plan.

"We are working with other countries on a proposal that we hope will lead to calm and enable discussions to a diplomatic solution," he said.

The call comes after the chief of Israel's army said the IDF was preparing for a ground invasion into Lebanon.

Ceasefire plan gains support from Lebanon PM

Senior US officials said all parties were aware of the call for a ceasefire.

The ceasefire would apply to the Israel-Lebanon "Blue Line" — the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel — and would allow the parties to negotiate towards a potential diplomatic resolution of the conflict, a senior US official said.

The officials said Hezbollah would not be a signatory to the ceasefire, but they believe the government of Lebanon would coordinate its acceptance with the group. 

Officials said they expected Israel to "welcome" the proposal in the coming hours and perhaps formally accept it when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the General Assembly on Friday.

Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati publicly threw his support behind the French-US plan that "enjoys international support and which would put an end to this dirty war".

He called on the Security Council "to guarantee the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Lebanese territories and the violations that are repeated on a daily basis".

Asked if a ceasefire could be reached soon, Mr Mikati said, "Hopefully, yes."

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also told journalists that Israel would like to see a ceasefire and the return of people to their homes near the border.

"It will happen, either after a war or before a war. We hope it will be before," he said.

Addressing the Security Council later on Wednesday night, he made no mention of negotiations on a temporary ceasefire but said Israel "does not seek a full-scale war".

Both Mr Danon and Mr Mikati reaffirmed their governments' commitment to a Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war in Lebanon.

Never fully implemented, it called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon to be replaced by Lebanese forces and UN peacekeepers and the disarmament of all armed groups including Hezbollah.

Mr Danon demanded that the resolution be enforced in full without delay.

"I make this declaration here today, to remove any doubt: Never again. Never again will the Jewish people hide from the monsters whose purpose in life is to murder Jews," he said.

Mr Danon also told the Security Council that Iran was the nexus of violence in the region and peace required dismantling the threat.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters before the council meeting that his country supported Hezbollah and would not remain indifferent if the conflict in Lebanon spiralled.

An Israeli official said Mr Netanyahu has given the green light to pursue a possible deal, but only if it includes the return of Israeli civilians to their homes.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

Biden and Macron proposed ceasefire plan at UN General Assembly

US officials said they had achieved a "breakthrough" in the talks.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations, said the deal crystallised late Wednesday afternoon, local time, during a conversation on the sidelines of the General Assembly between US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Work on the proposal progressed quickly this week with Mr Biden’s national security team — led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan — talking with allies to get the deal together, according to US officials.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the UN Security Council during a special meeting, "We are counting on both parties to accept it without delay."

Mr Barrot said France — a former colonial power to Lebanon — and the US had consulted with the sides on "final parameters for a diplomatic way out of this crisis", adding that "war is not unavoidable".

The proposal does not include an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but senior US officials said they were looking to use a pause in fighting to restart stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.