Syria's Assad calls for Mideast cease-fire

DAMASCUS, Syria, July 19 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called for a cease-fire in the Israeli-Lebanese crisis and called on the international community to arrange for it.

Assad made the comments -- his first expressing a desire for an end to the escalating warfare between Syria's Hezbollah ally and Israel -- in a phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Ynetnews reports.

"The conversation covered the international stance and how the international community is procrastinating on imposing a cease-fire and ending the crisis," the Syrian state news agency SANA said.