Moscow, April 15 (Sputnik/UNI) Seventeen countries condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon and called for Lebanon’s inclusion in the de-escalation process in the Middle East, a joint statement read.
The document was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
“We … call for the inclusion of Lebanon in the regional de-escalation efforts and urge all parties to work toward a lasting political solution … We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks of Hezbollah against Israel which must cease immediately. We also condemn in the strongest terms the massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon,” the statement, published by the UK Foreign Office, read on Tuesday.
The countries also condemned violence on both sides, welcomed the Lebanese initiative for direct talks with Israel, and reaffirmed their support for maintaining Lebanon’s territorial integrity, the statement added.
The escalation between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when the Lebanese movement resumed rocket attacks on Israeli territory amid the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. In response, Israel launched large-scale strikes on Lebanon, including the southern regions, the Beqaa Valley, and the suburbs of Beirut. On March 16, the Israeli military officially announced the launch of a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States last week, Hezbollah suspended its operations against Israel. The movement’s combat operations resumed on April 9 after Israel launched a massive strike on Beirut and towns in southern Lebanon the day before.
