EU foreign policy chief says further military intervention in Lebanon should be avoided

GENEVA

The EU foreign policy chief on Monday urged the avoidance of further military intervention in Lebanon, warning that more escalation would dramatically aggravate the situation in the region.

Josep Borrell's remarks came after an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers via a video conference called this morning to discuss the current escalation in Lebanon, where multiple reports suggest an Israel ground assault is imminent.

"Any further military intervention would dramatically aggravate the situation and has to be avoided," Borrell said. "We are very much concerned about the risk of this further situation of the conflict … and urge all parties in the region to show restraint in the interest of de-escalation."

"Arms should now be silenced, and the voice of diplomacy should speak and to be heard," he urged.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.