Josep Borrell: Wider war in the region "Not Inevitable"

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, stated on Thursday from Beirut that a broader war in the region is "not inevitable" and called for the "full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701."

Borrell is currently in Lebanon as part of a tour that also took him to Egypt earlier this week. During a press conference at the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he noted that "the wars in Syria and Gaza have negative repercussions for Lebanon," lamenting that "the drums of war have not stopped beating" since his last visit to Beirut in January.

However, he emphasized that, in his view, "the worst has been avoided." Expressing his desire to "limit a regional military escalation," he urged all parties to "follow this path and act for the benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese people, not for the interests of third parties," referring to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which opened a "support front" for Gaza on October 8, 2023.

Borrell assured that the European Union (EU) is making "every diplomatic effort to avoid an escalation," but acknowledged that he has "no magic wand."

"A full-scale war in southern Lebanon has not occurred (...), but the threat remains," Borrell warned.