Lebanon at risk: the EU calls for a ceasefire, but the front is widening

Lebanon is at risk of becoming yet another front in a war that no one seems to want, or know how, to stop. In the meantime, the declaration from Brussels (however relevant) is attempting to reconcile difficult, if not incompatible, positions. On one hand, it recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense “in compliance with international law,” warning that “all proxy forces joining the war render themselves legitimate targets”, a direct reference to Hezbollah, which is explicitly called upon to disarm and cease all actions against Israel. On the other hand, it does not spare criticism of the Israeli response, which it defines as “disproportionate”: the raids are causing mass displacement and risk further destabilizing an already precarious situation, with “severe humanitarian consequences.” Israel, the EU states, should cease operations in Lebanon.

An appeal that, in light of what is happening in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza, bears all the hallmarks of a voice in the wilderness.

On the ground, the reality is brutal: civilians fleeing, infrastructure struck, a country that had already experienced economic collapse, the pandemic, the explosion at the port of Beirut, and an endless political crisis, now finds itself under fire once again. The EU has announced it will draw from its emergency reserves to assist approximately 130,000 people affected by the conflict, extending its condolences to the families of the victims.

Israeli bombs are raining down not only on the Lebanese civilian population but also on the peacekeepers of the UNIFIL mission, the UN blue helmets deployed in southern Lebanon.

Diplomacy, the European statement concludes, “offers the best chance to prevent Lebanon from slipping into chaos.” It is a correct, perhaps even obvious, statement. It is a pity that, while Brussels writes press releases, the missiles keep flying.

Photo Army Spc. Trevares Johnson