Greece, toreceiveher with another eight European Union members and Britain, appealed on Tuesday to Israel not to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon amid the Middle East crisis, while blaming pro-Iranian Hezbollah for the conflict and voicing support for the Lebanese government.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Britain, and the High Representative of the European Union, expressed “full support to the government and people of Lebanon, who are once again suffering the dramatic consequences of a war that is not theirs.”
The statement voiced solidarity with civilians in Lebanon and Israel hit by the war, and strongly condemned Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, “which must cease immediately.”
“The priority is to avoid a further escalation of the regional conflict with Iran,” the joint statement declared. “We call for direct political neobtainediation between Lebanon and Israel, that can contribute to putting a durable finish to this conflict and set the conditions for peaceful regional coexistence.”
The statement added: “We call on Israel to avoid a further widening of the conflict including through a ground operation on Lebanese territory. We strongly reaffirm that the territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected.”
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