“The situation is critical” – European Union joins 15 countries in calling for Israeli operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon to be ended as part of the Iran ceasefire.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
The European Union has joined the heads of government of 15 countries in calling upon Israel to end its military campaign against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the US had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran to give peace talks a chance to achieve a comprehensive deal.
While the truce also resulted in a suspension of Israeli airstrikes on Iran, President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that the ceasefire did not apply to Israel’s ongoing operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Later Wednesday, however, the European Union and 15 heads of government issued a joint statement calling for the Iran ceasefire to be extended to Lebanon.
“We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon,” the joint statement read.
The signatories also called for “a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means.
“We strongly encourage quick progress toward a substantive negotiated settlement.”
The joint statement was backed by France, Germany, Canada, the UK, Japan, Italy, Romania, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Greece, and the European Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the signatories of the joint statement, said Wednesday that the “situation is critical” in Lebanon, criticizing Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah.
“What we have witnessed with Israel’s strikes and occupation of southern Lebanon isn’t the right response.”
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also criticized Israel over its operations in Lebanon, which she called “deeply damaging.”
“We want to see Lebanon included in the ceasefire,” Cooper told Times Radio on Thursday. “We want it extended to cover Lebanon because otherwise that will destabilize the whole region.”
“That escalation that we saw from Israel yesterday was deeply damaging, and we want to see an end to hostilities,” he said.
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