ROMA (ITALPRESS) – “We, Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Spain and Sweden, concerned for the conflict in the Middle East, are shocked by the dramatic situation and the renewed escalation of violence in Lebanon. We firmly condemn Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel in support of Iran. Hezbollah must immediately cease all hostile actions against Israel and disarm, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.” Thus, in a joint declaration, the foreign ministers of 15 countries, including Italy, recalling “the obligation of Israel to fully respect international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution, and underline the importance of protecting civilians and civil goods. The attacks against civilians, health personnel, humanitarian workers, journalists, infrastructure and civil structures are unjustified and unacceptable. They must cease immediately,” they add.
“Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah attacks must cease. We urge Israel to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and invite all parties, both Hezbollah and Israel, to stop military actions. We also call for full, secure and unobstructed humanitarian access to all affected populations. We support the decision of the Lebanese government on the state monopoly of arms, its efforts to disarm Hezbollah and put an end to its military activities, and welcome the decision of the Lebanese Council of Ministers, on 2 March 2026, to ban all the security and military activities of Hezbollah, to entrust the Lebanese armed forces with the task of taking into custody the arms of Hezbollah. We also commend the recent reform efforts undertaken by the Lebanese government in various areas. Such efforts – they observe – must be sustained rather than hindered. It is also essential that the international community continue to support the Lebanese armed forces. We support Unifil in implementing its mandate.”.
“We condemn all attacks against the Unifil quotas, which caused unacceptable losses between blue helmets, especially the killing of Indonesian blue helmets. The security of UN blue helmets must be guaranteed at any time. We express our condolences to all victims and their families of violence in Lebanon and Israel. All parties must comply with the ceasefire agreement of November 2024 and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. We strongly encourage Israel to accept the invitation of the Lebanese authorities to initiate direct negotiations. The efforts to support stabilisation in Lebanon are fundamental to lasting peace and security in the Middle East. A de-escalation is urgently necessary. Diplomacy must prevail. We have already mobilized large humanitarian and emergency aid to help Lebanon and its people, and we will continue to do so. We call on the international community to mobilize to provide further help to Lebanon and its people,” the Foreign Ministers conclude.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
