Joint statement of 17 countries: Condemning Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, demanding Hezbollah also to stop attacks

Moscow: Seventeen countries condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon and called for Lebanon’s inclusion in the process of reducing tensions in West Asia. Sputnik gave this information quoting a joint statement issued by those countries. The document was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

“We call for Lebanon to be included in efforts to de-escalate regional tensions and urge all parties to work towards a lasting political solution. We strongly condemn the attacks on Israel by Hezbollah, which must stop immediately. We also strongly condemn Israel’s large-scale attacks on Lebanon,” said a statement issued by Britain’s Foreign Office on Tuesday.

The statement further said the countries condemned the violence by both sides, welcomed Lebanon’s initiative for direct talks with Israel, and reaffirmed their support for maintaining Lebanon’s territorial integrity. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2 when the Lebanese movement resumed launching rocket attacks on Israeli territory amid the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

In response, Israel launched a large-scale attack in southern Lebanon, including the Bekaa Valley and the suburbs of Beirut, among other areas. On 16 March, the Israeli military officially announced the launch of a ground operation in southern Lebanon. After the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US last week, Hezbollah stopped its campaign against Israel, but Israel launched a fierce attack on Beirut and the cities of southern Lebanon on April 8, after which Hezbollah resumed its campaign on April 9.