Burak Bir
14 April 2026•Update: 14 April 2026
A group of European nations and Australia on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms" last week’s massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon as well as attacks on UN peacekeepers.
In a joint statement, foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the Greek Cypriot administration reaffirmed that Lebanon's territorial integrity must be respected.
They called for the inclusion of Lebanon in the regional de-escalation efforts and urged all parties to work toward a lasting political solution.
The statement warned that the continuation of the war in Lebanon puts at risk the current regional de-escalation, "which we have welcomed and must be fully respected by all parties."
The foreign ministers welcomed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's initiative to open direct talks with Israel, as well as Tel Aviv's acceptance to begin negotiations facilitated by the US, and urged both parties to take advantage of this opportunity.
"Direct negotiations can pave the way to bring lasting security for Lebanon and Israel as well as the region," it added, urging all parties to "urgently de-escalate" and seize the opportunity offered by the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Condemning the Hezbollah attacks against Israel, the statement said the attacks "must cease immediately."
"We also condemn in the strongest terms the massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon conducted on 8 April, which, according to the latest information shared by the Lebanese authorities, resulted in the death of more than 350 persons and wounded more than 1000.
"We also condemn in the strongest terms the attacks against UNIFIL, and we reiterate that the safety and security of UN peacekeepers must be ensured at all times."
Expressing their full solidarity and our steadfast support for the Lebanese people and authorities, the foreign ministers reiterated the importance of respecting Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701.
