“Lebanon faces its moment of truth”, Borrell says

EU foreign ministers called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and expressed support for UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. A joint statement was released after an extraordinary online informal meeting as the violence is raging between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia. According to Lebanese authorities, already 1 million people are internally displaced, with many aiming to find a safe shelter in Syria, which is not exempted from Israeli army strikes.

The 27 high diplomats recognized that the most recent wave of escalation has been triggered by Hezbollah attacks, “but the massive strike on Beirut and all over Lebanon last Friday are very much important in their consequences,” High Representative Josep Borrell stated after the meeting last Monday. Despite targeting Hezbollah leaders, the high number of casualties involved in the strikes “cannot be forgotten” and comes on top of the violation of a sovereign and independent country, Borrell highlighted.

As it is since the aggression of Hamas in October 2023 and the invasion of Gaza, the Council is stressing Israel to respect international law limits. “Any further military intervention would dramatically aggravate the situation and must be avoided; arms should now be silent, and the voice diplomacy should speak and be heard by all.”, Borrell further stressed.

The EU diplomacy is also acting through the strengthening of the Lebanese army capabilities by also backgrounding the respect of United Nations resolution 1701, which sets the so-called “Blue line” separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a weapon-free area.

“In the current situation of emergency, the United Nations mission in Lebanon UNIFIL also assumes the fundamental stability role”, the High Representative further said, appealing to all parties to protect the peacekeeping force to o ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind.

The Lebanese army was provided with 15 million euros worth of military assistance through the European Peace Facility on September 23rd. However, “additional support is considered” along with further humanitarian aid. According to Borrell, “more than ever, the Lebanese armed forces are called to play a critical role in both domestic and regional stability,” in a context that shows the Lebanese authorities to be far from holding the monopoly of the force.

ù”We’ve been talking about mobilizing our humanitarian support: coordination between EU Member States and with other associated countries is being exercised in real-time to ensure our preparedness for any emergency,” journalists were told. The meeting ended with a call for an urgent meeting within the UN Security Council.

Borrell further stressed that “all Lebanese leaders should now put the national interest first and work together to restore the functioning of Lebanese or Lebanon state institutions, notably by electing a president and forming a full-fledged government.” The European Union “stands ready to assist Lebanon in the consolidation of its state institutions and undertaking the steps needed for its recovery.”