AP – The European Union’s (EU) top diplomat said yesterday there were “no excuses” for Israel to refuse to accept a ceasefire with the Lebanese group Hezbollah, saying all its security concerns had been addressed in the United States (US)-French-brokered deal.
Outgoing EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for increased pressure on Israel to blunt extremists in the government who are refusing to accept the deal. Speaking on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in Italy, Borrell warned that if a ceasefire is not implemented, “Lebanon will fall apart.”
Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet was set to convene to discuss a proposed ceasefire. Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal.
Borrell said under the proposed agreement, the US would chair a ceasefire implementation committee, with France participating at the request of Lebanon.
“On the proposal agreement brokered by the US and France, Israel has all security concerns (addressed),” Borrell told reporters in Fiuggi, Italy. “There is not an excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart.”
Following the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, months of back-and-forth fighting between Israel and Hezbollah have erupted into a full-blown war in recent months, with Israel killing Hezbollah’s main leaders and sending ground forces into southern Lebanon.
Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded more than 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles in northern Israel and in the fighting on the ground in Lebanon.
