What may be an imminent Israeli army ground incursion into Lebanon, following the bombing of Beirut for the first time since the 2006 war, is of extreme concern to the European Union. A new phase in the escalation between the Jewish State and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, now almost beheaded after the assassination of its leader, Hasan Nasrallah, in an Israeli bombing, may be critical for the entire region. This Monday, the EU called for a ceasefire and warned, although without expressly addressing Israel, that any further military intervention would drastically aggravate the already complicated situation in Lebanon.
The EU foreign ministers, who held an emergency meeting by videoconference this Monday to discuss the situation, have called for de-escalation and demand a quick diplomatic solution. The community club fears a new humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands of internally displaced people and thousands of refugees, which adds to that of the Gaza Strip, besieged and reduced to rubble by Israeli bombings in response to the Hamas attacks of September 7 October 2023.
“The sovereignty of both Israel and Lebanon must be guaranteed and any other military intervention would drastically aggravate the situation and should be avoided,” declared the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, after the meeting, in a speech in which he has also called on Hezbollah to stop launching projectiles at Israel. “This is the moment of truth for Lebanon,” he said. “The guns must be silenced and the voice of diplomacy must be heard,” added Borrell, who participated in the meeting from Mexico.
The EU strongly calls on both parties to cease hostilities. However, like everything related to Israel, there has been some division in the meeting of the ministers of the Twenty-Seven, between those who wanted to issue a clear and express appeal to the Jewish State about its possible terrestrial inclusion and to point out the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu, for the dozens of civilian deaths in the bombings on Lebanon that, according to Israel, are aimed at the leaders of Hezbollah, and who, like Austria, the Czech Republic or Hungary, have considered that a call for a ceasefire implicitly includes the claim that the The land incursion should not take place, explain community sources.
The prospects of an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon – the first since the 34-day 2006 war – although limited, could have devastating consequences. The European Commission announced on Sunday emergency aid for Lebanon of 10 million euros; and this Monday, the Foreign Ministers agreed to send another 50 million euros from the European Peace Fund. The EU is also studying additional economic measures, Borrell said.
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Meanwhile, other member states such as Italy and France have also announced humanitarian aid packages. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has urged Israel to “refrain from any ground incursion and to stop shooting”; He has also called on Hezbollah to stop the attacks.
The EU has also shown its commitment to the Lebanese authorities. The country is in an extremely fragile situation due to the economic crisis and the instability of the Government. Already at the beginning of the year, the community club signed a pact with Lebanon worth about 1,000 million euros to shore up the Executive and the army and stop immigration.
