German foreign minister warns Lebanon ‘on brink of collapse’

‘The task now is to work with our partners in the US, Europe and the Arab world to find a viable diplomatic solution that safeguards the legitimate security interests of both Israel and Lebanon,’ German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement. (Reuters)

• Annalena Baerbock said the task was to find a viable diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon

BEIRUT: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on Wednesday that “Lebanon is on the brink of collapse” as she arrived in the war-torn country for a visit.
As Israel clashes with militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, she also said that “any deliberate attack on UN peacekeepers violates international humanitarian law.”
Baerbock was on her 12th trip to the Middle East since the Hamas attack of October 7 last year set off Israel’s war in Gaza and now against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is becoming more desperate by the day,” she said at the start of her trip, which Berlin had not previously announced because of security concerns.
“Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing with their last belongings, children are being separated from their parents, hospitals are working at the limit of their capacity.
“Lebanon is on the brink of collapse.”
She said Hamas allies Hezbollah are “hiding behind civilians and continuing to fire rockets at Israel” but also cautioned that Israel must operate within “the narrow limits of the right to self-defense and international humanitarian law.”
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon has accused Israel of attacking its peacekeepers multiple times in recent weeks.
“All parties to the conflict also have an obligation to protect UN peacekeepers,” said Baerbock. “The soldiers of UNIFIL have our full support. They are needed for a political solution to the conflict.
“Any deliberate attack on UN peacekeepers violates international humanitarian law.”
The war in Gaza began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 42,718 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry which the UN considers reliable.
Israel shifted its focus to Lebanon in late September, vowing to secure its northern border under fire from Hezbollah.
Baerbock urged efforts involving the United States, Europe and the Arab world “to develop a viable diplomatic solution that protects the legitimate security interests of Israel and Lebanon.”