We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Spain and Sweden, concerned by the conflict in the Middle East, are appalled by the dramatic situation and renewed escalation of violence in Lebanon, where there are already 1.2 million internally displaced persons, representing some 25% of the overall population. More than 1.000 people have been killed so far, most of them civilians, including children, aid workers and journalists, according to the Health Ministry of Lebanon.

We strongly condemn the decision by Hezbollah to attack Israel in support of Iran. Hezbollah must immediately cease all hostile actions against Israel and disarm, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

We recall Israel’s obligation to fully abide by international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution and stress the importance of the protection of civilians and civilian objects. Attacks against civilians, healthcare personnel, aid workers, journalists, civilian infrastructure and facilities are unjustified and unacceptable. They must cease immediately.

Independent investigations are important in ensuring accountability.

Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s attacks must cease. We urge Israel to fully respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and call on all parties, both Hezbollah and Israel, to halt military action.

We also call for full, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all affected populations.

We support the Lebanese government’s decision on State monopoly of weapons, its efforts to disarm Hezbollah and end its military activities, and welcome the Lebanese Cabinet’s decision, on 2 March 2026, to ban all security and military activities by Hezbollah, task the Lebanese Armed Forces with taking custody of Hezbollah’s weapons and oblige Hezbollah to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese State. We also commend the recent reform efforts by the Lebanese government in several domains. Those efforts must be supported instead of being undermined. It also remains essential for the international community to keep supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

We support the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the implementation of its mandate. We condemn all attacks on UNIFIL’s contingents, which provoked unacceptable casualties among the peacekeepers, notably the killing of Indonesian peacekeepers. The safety and security of UN peacekeepers must be ensured at all times.

We express our condolences to all victims, and their families, of the violence in Lebanon and in Israel.

All parties must abide by the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and fully implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1701. We strongly encourage Israel to accept the call of the Lebanese authorities to hold direct negotiations. Efforts to support stabilization in Lebanon are instrumental to lasting peace and security in the Middle East. De-escalation is urgently needed. Diplomacy must prevail.

We have already mobilized substantial emergency and humanitarian assistance to relief Lebanon and its population, and we will continue to do so. We call on the international community to mobilize to further help Lebanon and its population.