“Fifteen European Countries Sound the Alarm: Lebanon Faces Dangerous Escalation Amid Calls to End the War”

The foreign ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Spain and Sweden issued a joint statement on Lebanon, which reads:

"While we are concerned about the conflict in the Middle East, we are shocked by the tragic situation and renewed escalation of violence in Lebanon, where there are already 1.2 million internally displaced persons, representing some 25% of the total population. More than 1,000 people have been killed so far, most of them civilians, including children, humanitarian workers, and journalists, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. We strongly condemn Hezbollah's decision to attack Israel in support of Iran. Hezbollah must immediately cease all hostilities against Israel and disarm, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We reiterate Israel's obligation to fully comply with international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, and stress the importance of protecting civilians and civilian objects."

The statement added: “Attacks against civilians, health workers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, and civilian infrastructure and facilities are unjustified and unacceptable and must stop immediately. Independent investigations are crucial to ensure accountability. Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah attacks must cease. We urge Israel to fully respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we call on all parties, both Hezbollah and Israel, to cease hostilities. We also call for full, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all affected populations. We support the Lebanese government’s decision to restrict weapons to the state and its efforts to disarm Hezbollah and end its military activities. We welcome the Lebanese Cabinet’s decision of March 2, 2016, to ban all Hezbollah security and military activities, task the Lebanese army with taking possession of Hezbollah’s weapons, and obligate the party to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state. We also appreciate the Lebanese government’s recent reform efforts in several areas. These efforts should be supported, not undermined. It remains essential that the international community continue to support the Lebanese army.”

He continued: "We support the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in carrying out its mandate. We condemn all attacks on UNIFIL forces, which have caused unacceptable losses among peacekeepers, particularly the killing of members of the Indonesian contingent. The safety and security of UN peacekeepers must be guaranteed at all times. We express our condolences to all victims of violence in Lebanon and Israel, and to their families. All parties must abide by the ceasefire agreement of November 2014 and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

We strongly encourage Israel to respond to the Lebanese authorities' call for direct negotiations."

He concluded: “Efforts to support stability in Lebanon are essential for achieving lasting peace and security in the Middle East. There is an urgent need to de-escalate tensions.

Diplomacy must prevail. We have already mobilized significant emergency and humanitarian aid to assist Lebanon and its people, and we will continue to do so. We call on the international community to mobilize further support to help Lebanon and its people.”