Europe Asia News

The foreign ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom, along with the European Union’s High Representative, issued a joint statement on the situation in Lebanon. The statement expressed full support for the Lebanese government and people while drawing attention to the humanitarian crises affecting civilians.

The joint statement emphasized that responsibility for the current situation lies with Hezbollah and said that the Iranian-backed Israeli attacks must stop immediately. The statement also said that the decisions taken by the Lebanese government are supported and that steps to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty should continue.

The statement underlined the long-term importance of Lebanon’s security forces being the sole legitimate authority responsible for ensuring the country’s sovereignty and called for financial and economic reforms to continue in line with IMF requirements. All parties were urged to immediately halt the fighting and return to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006. It was stated that civilians, humanitarian workers, peacekeepers and infrastructure must be protected.

The statement also pointed out that forced displacement in Lebanon has reached alarming levels. It stressed that Israel should not carry out a ground operation on Lebanese territory and called for respect for the country’s territorial integrity.

Finally, strong support for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission was reiterated, and the safety of UNIFIL personnel was requested to be ensured. The statement also praised UNIFIL’s work under difficult conditions.