EU says ‘race against time’ to avoid Lebanon ‘conflagration’

BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday said the international community must speed up efforts for a political solution to end the fighting in Lebanon and prevent a “conflagration.”
In a statement released the day after a conference on aid for Lebanon in France, Borrell said the first step needed was a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We are currently engaged in a race against time between the possible start of a political process in Lebanon and a generalized conflagration with incalculable consequences,” Borrell said.
“Without a suspension of hostilities, nothing will be possible,” he said.
Borrell said once fighting was halted, Lebanon needed to organize long-postponed presidential elections “as soon as possible.”
He said the Lebanese Armed Forces must become the “only military force present” in the south of the country, where Israel is engaged in ground battles with Hezbollah.
A UN peacekeeping mission in the area must also be strengthened, he said.
International calls for an end to fighting have so far failed to end the fighting in the region.
The Paris conference on aid for conflict-stricken Lebanon raised around $800 million for humanitarian aid but saw little diplomatic progress.
Israel has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon since late last month, in a bid to secure its northern border after nearly a year of cross-border fire from the Iran-backed armed group.
Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in its history.
After nearly a year of war in Gaza sparked by the attack, Israel expanded its focus to Lebanon and last month launched a massive bombing campaign targeting mainly Hezbollah strongholds across the country, sending in ground troops on September 30.
The war in Lebanon has killed at least 1,580 people, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.