The foreign ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, along with the High Representative of the European Union, expressed in a joint statement their full support for Lebanon, both its government and its people, who are once again suffering the tragic consequences of a war that is not theirs. The countries also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and their solidarity with the civilians affected by this war in both Lebanon and Israel.

The joint European statement said, “The responsibility for this situation lies with Hezbollah. We strongly condemn the attacks carried out by Hezbollah in support of Iran against Israel, which must stop immediately. The priority here is to prevent further escalation of the regional conflict with Iran.”

It added, “We support the historic and courageous decisions taken by the Lebanese government. There is no other way to protect Lebanon from foreign interference than by strengthening its state, institutions, and sovereignty.” The statement called for direct political negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which would help bring a lasting end to this conflict and create conditions for peaceful regional coexistence.

The European Union flag.

The European statement continued: “The Lebanese executive authority has our full support in its approach, and we encourage it to continue on this path by implementing concrete and irreversible measures at all levels to restore its sovereignty over the entire Lebanese territory, including the exclusive possession of arms by the state.”

The European countries also reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Lebanese army and security forces through active participation in the international support conference, which will be held as soon as conditions allow. To enable the Lebanese security forces to become the sole independent guarantor of Lebanon’s long-term sovereignty, we also call on the Lebanese authorities to continue adopting the necessary financial and economic reforms in line with the requirements of the International Monetary Fund.

The statement added: “In addition, the European ministers, in their joint statement, called on all parties to immediately cease escalation and return to the ceasefire agreement and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). We also call for the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, peacekeeping forces, and civilian infrastructure, including airports, ports, and bridges throughout the country, in accordance with international humanitarian law. We again express our concern over the forced displacement of more than one million people in Lebanon. We urge Israel to avoid expanding the conflict, including through any ground operations on Lebanese territory, and we strongly emphasize the importance of respecting Lebanon’s territorial integrity.”

The statement continued: “We are determined to continue supporting the Lebanese government in providing humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict, including more than one million displaced persons, maintaining internal cohesion in Lebanon, and building on the emergency measures taken by our countries. We also call on the entire international community to participate in this vital humanitarian effort to ensure dignified living conditions for the many victims of this conflict.”

The ministers also emphasized their strong support for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate in southern Lebanon and called for ensuring that channels to prevent conflict remain open. They strongly condemned all recent attacks on UNIFIL units, which have caused unacceptable losses among peacekeepers in recent days. They urged all parties, under all circumstances, to guarantee the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and facilities in accordance with international law and praised UNIFIL’s exceptional work under these difficult conditions.