EU Calls Emergency Talks on Lebanon Escalation

European foreign ministers are set to hold emergency talks on Monday to address the escalating situation in Lebanon, according to Brussels, as Israel continues its air strikes following the death of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

A spokesperson announced that Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, had convened a video meeting at 1500 GMT to discuss the European Union’s response to the worsening crisis in Lebanon.

International efforts are underway to prevent the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah from turning into a wider regional war.

So far, the 27-member European Union has struggled to present a unified response or wield significant influence to de-escalate the violence that has shaken the region over the past year.

On Monday, Israel launched its first air strike in Beirut’s city center since the Gaza conflict erupted last year, killing four people. This raid marked a significant intensification in the ongoing air campaign, which saw the assassination of Hezbollah’s long-standing leader, Nasrallah, last Friday, further escalating tensions.

Since last Monday, Israeli air strikes have killed hundreds in Lebanon, the deadliest period since the country’s civil war from 1975 to 1990. The Lebanese health ministry reported that more than 700 people have been killed, including 14 paramedics over two days of bombing.

The U.N. refugee agency’s head, Filippo Grandi, revealed that over 200,000 people have been displaced within Lebanon, while more than 100,000 have fled to neighboring Syria.

After nearly a year of a devastating military campaign in Gaza, prompted by Hamas’s attack on October 7 last year, Israel has increasingly shifted its focus toward Hezbollah.