Any ground invasion or other further military intervention in Lebanon by Israel “has to be avoided”, European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said.
Foreign affairs ministers from the 27 EU countries discussed the escalating conflict between Israel and Hizbullah militants during an emergency video conference call on Monday.
The meeting was hastily scheduled as fears grow of a possible Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon, following a barrage of missile attacks over the last two weeks that killed several Hizbullah commanders, including the group’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah.
More than 1,000 Lebanese people have been killed and several thousand wounded in the strikes, which have also led an estimated one million people to flee their homes, according to the government in Lebanon. Hizbullah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem has said the Iranian-backed militant group would resist any ground invasion.
Speaking after the meeting of foreign ministers, Mr Borrell, the EU’s top representative on foreign affairs, said any further military intervention in Lebanon would “dramatically aggravate the situation and it has to be avoided”.
There had already been a “massive displacement” of Lebanese civilians, many who were trying to flee to Syria, he said. “The high number of casualties cannot be forgotten,” he said.
The Spanish politician said the EU had to commit to help prop up Lebanese state institutions which were at risk of collapsing. European countries were very concerned about the recent escalation in the region and urged all forces to “show restraint”, he said.
During the meeting he said several EU countries had made the point that Hizbullah had struck first, firing rockets into Israel after the attacks by Hamas militants in Israel on October 7th. Mr Borrell said while Israel had a right to defend itself, it had to take account of international humanitarian law. The safety of United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, a force which includes Irish Defence Forces troops, was paramount, Mr Borrell added.
[ Irish troops in Lebanon will remainOpens in new window ]
In a statement before the meeting, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said all sides needed to “immediately de-escalate” and work towards a ceasefire. “The Middle East stands on a precipice following the surge in violence in Lebanon. A wider conflict would be disastrous,” he said. The EU needed to “urgently” scale up its humanitarian support to Lebanon, whose population was bearing the brunt of the recent violence, Mr Martin said.
The recent ramping up of strikes on Lebanon represents a significant escalation of the conflict in the region, since Israel invaded Gaza nearly a year ago, in response to attacks from Hamas militants. The leaders of the 27 EU countries are due to meet for a summit later in October, where the conflict in the Middle East is expected to be one of the main items on the agenda.
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