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The EU and Britain demand a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

2024-09-22 22:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The EU and Britain demand a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell

The European Union and Great Britain have expressed concern over the escalation of attacks between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group - declared a terrorist organization by the US.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for an "immediate" ceasefire as border tensions between the two countries have raised fears of a wider war in the region.

"The European Union is extremely concerned about the escalation in Lebanon, following Friday's attacks in Beirut," Borrell said in a statement, calling for a "ceasefire" along the border line that separates them, "as well as in Gaza."

Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, David Lammy, called for an "immediate ceasefire" after a "disturbing escalation" between Israel and Hezbollah.

"Our message to all parties is clear: we need an immediate cease-fire on both sides so that we can reach a political solution so that Israelis and Lebanese civilians can return to their homes and live in peace and security," Lammy said during a speech at the Labor party's annual conference.

Meanwhile, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said that a regional military escalation is not "in the best interest" of Israel.

"We do not believe that escalating this military conflict is in their best interest," Kirby told ABC, adding that the United States "is saying that directly to our Israeli counterparts."

Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah have exchanged escalating attacks on the border, including intense overnight rocket fire in northern Israel that forced hundreds of thousands of people into shelters, according to the Israeli military.

"Tensions are much higher now than they were just a few days ago," Kirby said.

However, he added that "we still believe there is space and time for a diplomatic solution, and we are working on that."

Lebanon's Hezbollah group fired over 100 rockets in the early morning hours of September 22 toward a wider area and deeper inside northern Israel.

The overnight barrage of rockets set off alarm sirens across northern Israel, forcing thousands of people into shelters. The Israeli military said the rockets had been fired "at civilian areas", signaling a possible escalation, as rockets had previously focused mostly on military targets.

The rocket attack followed an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 20 that killed at least 37 people, including one of Hezbollah's top leaders, as well as women and children. Hezbollah was still dealing with a sophisticated attack that caused thousands of personal devices to explode just days earlier. The Israeli military said it had carried out a wave of strikes in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, hitting around 400 militant targets, including rocket launchers. Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said that these attacks had prevented an even bigger attack./ Rel