ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday warned that “Lebanon is on the brink of collapse” and the humanitarian situation in the country is “becoming more desperate day by day" amid ongoing clashes between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel.
Baerbock arrived in Beirut on Wednesday on an unannounced visit to meet top officials of the war-torn country.
"The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is becoming more desperate by the day,” Annalena said. "Lebanon is on the brink of collapse.”
Annalena’s visit to Beirut came a day after Israel said it was confirmed that Hashim Safieddine, the successor of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a strike on the group’s headquarters in Beirut around three weeks ago. Hezbollah has not confirmed it yet.
Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been engaged in frequent cross-border exchanges of fire for over a year. Tensions have been at an unprecedented high for over a month after a major cyberattack in Lebanon in mid-September.
Both sides have intensified their strikes in recent weeks. The Israeli army has launched a ground aggression in southern Lebanon aimed at “dismantling” Hezbollah and its capabilities and also killed several top “Axis of Resistance” leaders, including former Hezbollah chief Nasrallah in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Civilians have borne the brunt of the Israel attacks. Over 1,500 people have been reported killed, while 1.2 million people have either internally been displaced or taken refuge in neighboring countries, accounting for 25 percent of the country’s population since mid-September, according to data from the Lebanese government.
"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,” German Foreign Minister Baerbock said.
She accused Hezbollah of "hiding behind civilians and continuing to fire rockets at Israel” while also urging Israel to operate within "the narrow limits of the right to self-defense and international humanitarian law."
Apart from the Israel-Hezbollah war, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon has on several occasions 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 German foreign minister’s visit to Lebanon comes amid growing efforts to broker a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza.
US Secretary of State who had his first stop in Israel on his 11th trip to the Middle East on Tuesday since the war broke out a year ago, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to capitalize on the killing of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and work towards a ceasefire.
Blinken is currently in Saudi Arabia, and his next stop will be in Qatar before flying to London where he is expected to meet foreign ministers of Arab countries to discuss a ceasefire.
The war in Gaza should end now, Blinken told reporters before leaving Tel Aviv for Riyadh.
"Since October 7 a year ago, Israel has achieved most of its strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza... Now is the time to turn those successes into enduring, strategic success," Blinken said.
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