French President Emmanuel Macron and top British and German officials on May 31 expressed concerns over Israel’s latest ground offensive in Lebanon, while also assailing the Hezbollah militant group’s attacks across the border into Israel.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
Macron said that “nothing justifies the major escalation under way in south Lebanon” and he called for an end to fighting “for good.”
“France will continue to support the Lebanese authorities in their efforts to restore the sovereignty of the state and the country’s territorial integrity,” he wrote on X.
British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said in a post on X that “Israel’s military escalation in Lebanon has killed and displaced civilians, destroyed infrastructure, and eroded space for diplomacy.”
“It must end. Hizballah must end attacks on Israel and disarm. All sides must respect the ceasefire and engage with negotiations in good faith,”
“All sides must respect the cease-fire and engage with negotiations in good faith,” she added.
Israeli troops seize the Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also called on Israel and Hezbollah to return to the cease-fire that was announced in April but has been on shaky ground since.
Wadephul said Israel’s “continued advance” into southern Lebanon was “a cause for great concern.”
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on June 1 over Israel’s expansion of its offensive in Lebanon, diplomatic sources told AFP.
The meeting, requested by France, and will take place immediately after an emergency session over the impact of a Russian drone into a Romanian apartment building. That meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. in New York.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli strike in the south of the country early on May 31 killed at least eight people as Israel intensifies its attacks and ground operations targeting Hezbollah.
“The massacre committed by the Israeli enemy in a raid on the town of Deir Zahrani, Nabatieh district, at dawn on [May 31]..resulted in eight martyrs, including three women, and 19 wounded, including five children and six women,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon following the military’s capture of the medieval castle of Beaufort, calling it a “dramatic shift” in the drive against Hezbollah.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli troops had raised the Israeli flag over the castle, which is also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif. He described the site as “one of the most important strategic points for defending communities of the Galilee” and ensuring the security of Israeli forces.
The castle has long held significant military value. Israeli forces used the fortress as a base during their 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000.
The militant group, meanwhile, said it targeted Israeli forces near the fortress and military positions and infrastructure in Shlomi and Nahariya in northern Israel, while air raid sirens sounded in the Acre area.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP