European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut on Sunday. REUTERS
Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell urged an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict during his visit to Lebanon on Sunday, as the militant group reported a series of cross-border attacks. Earlier this week, US special envoy Amos Hochstein expressed optimism in Lebanon about reaching a truce agreement, before traveling to Israel for discussions with officials there. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in late September, almost a year after the Iran-backed group initiated strikes in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following its October 7 attack. According to the health ministry, the ongoing conflict has claimed at least 3,670 lives in Lebanon since October 2023, with most casualties occurring since September.
In Beirut, Borrell held discussions with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who has been mediating on behalf of Hezbollah. Borrell emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the previous Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006. The resolution stipulates that only Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be present in the south, where Hezbollah has significant influence, and calls for Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon.
Borrell expressed his concern, stating, "Back in September, I hoped we could prevent a full-scale war of Israel attacking Lebanon. Two months later, Lebanon is on the brink of collapse." He announced that the European Union is prepared to offer 200 million euros ($208 million) to support the Lebanese armed forces. Hezbollah, one of the world's most heavily armed non-state forces, is the only group in Lebanon that refused to disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war. While the Lebanese army maintains a presence across the country, Hezbollah holds sway in key border areas with Israel. Although the Lebanese army is not directly involved in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, it has suffered casualties among its ranks.
On Sunday, the Lebanese army reported that an Israeli strike on a military post resulted in one soldier's death and 18 others wounded. Simultaneously, Hezbollah claimed to have launched attacks using missiles and drones targeting a naval base in southern Israel and a "military target" in Tel Aviv. The group also asserted that it had conducted an operation against a "military target" in Tel Aviv using "a barrage of advanced missiles and a swarm of strike drones." The Israeli military confirmed that air raid sirens were activated in several areas of central and northern Israel, and that it had intercepted projectiles fired from Lebanon. Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, reported treating two individuals, including a 70-year-old woman who sustained minor injuries.
On Saturday, Lebanon reported that Israeli strikes across the country had killed more than 55 people, with many fatalities occurring in central Beirut. A strike in the working-class Basta neighborhood of Beirut resulted in at least 20 deaths and 66 injuries, according to the health ministry. In a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated Washington's commitment to a diplomatic resolution in the Lebanon war. Katz, while commending US efforts towards de-escalation, stated that Israel would "continue to act decisively in response to Hezbollah's attacks on civilian populations in Israel."
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