“Utmost restraint” necessary
Baerbock wants to avert “hot war” in Lebanon
25.06.2024, 22:15
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Ramallah, Jerusalem, Beirut. At the third stop on her Middle East trip, Foreign Minister Baerbock is also trying to counteract a looming escalation. Fighting is intensifying in the border region, while Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz is threatening Hezbollah with its destruction in a “comprehensive war”.
During her visit to Lebanon, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned of a “hot war” between Israel and Hezbollah. With every rocket fired over the border region between Lebanon and Israel, the danger grows “that a miscalculation could trigger a hot war from one moment to the next,” wrote on X.
All those responsible must “exercise the utmost restraint,” the minister demanded after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut. A meeting with acting Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib was also planned.
“The deep political crisis and blockade in Lebanon must finally be overcome. For this, a government capable of taking action is indispensable,” Baerbock continued on X. Germany is ready to support Lebanon on the road to stabilization. In view of the large number of refugees in the country, the minister announced that Germany would provide another 18 million euros for humanitarian aid – “specifically for food, accommodation and doctors.”
On Monday, Baerbock began her eighth Middle East trip since the start of the Gaza war in Israel and gave a lecture at a security conference at Reichman University in the city of Herzliya. Today she first met the new Palestinian head of government Mohammed Mustafa in Ramallah in the West Bank, and in the afternoon she traveled on to Lebanon.
The Shiite militia Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran and allied with the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, controls the area just behind Israel’s northern border. Hamas is also present in Lebanon. Since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, there have been almost daily clashes in the border area. In view of the threats from both sides, fears of an escalation have grown in recent days.
Escalation between Israel and Hezbollah threatens
At the Herzliya Conference near Tel Aviv on Monday evening, Baerbock called for a complete and verifiable withdrawal of the Shiite militia from the border area between Lebanon and Israel. The increase in violence on Israel’s northern border is a cause for great concern. “The risk of unintentional escalation and a full-scale war is growing daily. Extreme caution is therefore required,” said Baerbock.
Israel wants to use diplomatic pressure to get the militia to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border – as stipulated in a UN resolution. If necessary, Israel is also prepared to use a larger military operation, warned Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant recently. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that once the intensive phase of the Gaza war is over, it will be possible to move some of the troops north.
Israel and Hezbollah have been shooting at each other in the border region with Lebanon for more than eight months. Recently, the intensity of the fighting has increased significantly. There are fears that an open war between Israel and the Hezbollah militia could escalate into a regional conflict in which the USA, Israel’s most important ally, would also be drawn in.
Hezbollah has an arsenal of around 150,000 rockets. In the event of war, it could fire thousands of rockets at Israeli cities every day and take out important infrastructure. A hail of rockets could overwhelm Israel’s missile defenses.