THE UN declared an end to the month-long war in Lebanon early today as it voted unanimously for a resolution that would require Israel to turn over captured territory to the Lebanese Army and a 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping force.

The Security Council voted 15-0 to adopt the plan painstakingly negotiated by France and the US.

Tony Blair welcomed to the resolution and called for hostilities to end immediately, but added: “There will continue to be difficulties until it is clear that the combination of Lebanese forces and the UN multinational force can be effectively deployed in returning control of the south of Lebanon to the Lebanese Government. This should start straight away.”

In her speech at the UN, Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, challenged Syria and Iran to work for peace in Lebanon. “Hezbollah’s backers, notably Syria and Iran, must now consider their position — whether they want to work with the rest of the international community to build a peaceful future in the region, or to oppose those efforts, at a high cost to the region and ultimately to themselves,” she said.

She singled out President Ahmadinejad of Iran for criticism, saying that his call for the destruction of Israel “have the capacity to promote further violence”.

Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, was joined by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Foreign Minister, and Mrs Beckett at the UN headquarters in New York for the meeting. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, told the Security Council that he would consult with Israel and Lebanon this weekend to fix the exact time for the truce.

“It’s absolutely vital that the fighting now stop. Providing it does, I believe this resolution will make it possible to conclude a lasting and sustainable ceasefire agreement in the days ahead,” he said.

The resolution calls for the creation of a buffer zone between the Litani River and the Israeli border free of Hezbollah guerrillas, and a ban on all arms sales to the group.

In the key paragraph, it says that the Lebanese Army and the UN force will “deploy their forces together throughout the south” and calls upon Israel, “as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel”.

Diplomats admitted that the plan could run into problems. Mrs Beckett said: “You never get a deal like this with everybody getting everything that they want. The question is, has everybody got enough for it to stick and for it to be enforceable?” French troops are expected to spearhead the reinforcement of the 2,000-strong UN force in southern Lebanon within days. Mr Annan will report back on implementation within a week.

Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, met Tzipi Livni, the Foreign Minister and Amir Peretz, the Defence Minister, and recommended that the Government endorse the proposed resolution at a Cabinet meeting tomorrow. Mr Olmert told President Bush last night that Israel would support the resolution.

But before the vote, Israel had vowed to press ahead with its expanded military offensive against Hezbollah and troops and tanks massed on the border for a renewed push. British diplomats said that Israel’s position could be a tactic to put pressure on the Arab side to accept the deal at the UN.

An official source in Beirut said that the Lebanese Government would accept the draft resolution at a meeting today.

The resolution effectively calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed and for the Lebanese Government to ensure that there are “no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon”. Members of the Security Council were under strong pressure to vote. The Security Council’s failure to call for a halt to the fighting for 31 days, because of British and American insistence on spelling out terms for a durable settlement first, attracted criticism around the world.

Mr Annan told the meeting that the Security Council’s failure to act more quickly had “badly shaken the world’s faith in its authority and integrity” in the UN . “Each day the discussions move on, the death, the killing and the destruction continues in the region,” said Mr Annan.

Dr Rice said: “With this resolution, a new stronger Lebanon can emerge with the world’s help. Hezbollah now faces a clear choice between war and peace.”

The final text said that the UN force would be able to “take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilised for hostile activities of any kind”.

REVISED FRENCH-US RESOLUTION

Calls for the unconditional release of two Israeli soldiers whose abduction by Hezbollah sparked the start of the violence on July 12

Times Recommends

• Zardari still has to tackle tough questions
• Material evidence 'debunks' Turin Shroud
• BBC criticised over Uganda gay execution poll