Visit to the war zone – Baerbock warns of the “collapse” of Lebanon

Hundreds of thousands of people are on the run, children are separated from their parents, hospitals are working at the limit of their capacity. Regarding Hezbollah, Baerbock emphasized: “In Lebanon too, we see how irresponsible terrorists hide behind civilians and continue to fire rockets at Israel from there.” At the same time, Israel must “coordinate its operations within the narrow limits of the right of self-defense and international humanitarian law and protect the lives of innocent civilians,” the minister also sees as a duty for the Israeli government.

The UN monitoring mission UNIFIL, which came under both diplomatic and physical fire from Israel, defended the German minister and emphasized her importance in the conflict with Hezbollah. The key to peace is the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701. This provides for a kind of demilitarized zone in the border area under the supervision of peacekeepers.

Blinken: “Only two things left to do”
The day before, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued his peace efforts in the Middle East. He called on the Israeli government to seize opportunities for peace following the death of hardliner and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: “Now is the time to translate these successes into lasting strategic success. And there are really only two things left to do: bring the hostages home and end the war with an idea of ​​what will follow,” Blinken said in Tel Aviv before leaving for the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stressed during a meeting with Blinken on Tuesday evening that Hezbollah would continue to be fought after “targeted operations” in Lebanon were completed until the militia was expelled from the border area and residents of northern Israel who had fled returned safely could turn.