European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (L) meets with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday. Borrell is on a five-day visit to the Middle East, during which he will stop in Jordan, Cyprus and Lebanon.
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday that Israel and Hezbollah must be pressured to accept the U.S. truce proposal to end their raging war, warning that Lebanon is on the verge of collapse and pledging $208 million to the Lebanese Army.
Borrel, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called for an immediate and simultaneous ceasefire by all parties and the full implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
"We must pressure the Israeli government and maintain the pressure on Hezbollah to accept the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire," he said during a news conference after meeting with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Nabij Mikati in Beirut.
Progress has been made in the negotiations led by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein with Berri in Beirut this week, observers said. The outcome of Hochstein's visit to Tel Aviv remained unknown.
"At that moment, we are pending a concrete and definitive answer from the Israeli government," Borrell said, expressing hope that the agreement reached on the last days with Hochstein will be finally implemented and a cease-fire achieved.
Resolution 1701 calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and its withdrawal to the north of the Litani River, the pullout of Israeli forces from Lebanese territories, and Army and U.N. peacekeeping troops serving as the only force in charge of security in the southern border area.
Israel has been trying to impose new conditions to secure more enforcement mechanisms and have a free hand in Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah's rearming and funding -- conditions strongly rejected by Lebanon for violating its sovereignty.
Borrell emphasized the re-establishment of "Lebanese full sovereignty by air, land and sea," and highlighted the "key role" the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force is playing "in an increasingly challenging environment."
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire across the border since the militant group opened a "support front" for Gaza in October 2023.
The conflict descended into war when Israel expanded its attacks Sept. 17 with an unprecedented, highly sophisticated pager and walkie-talkie attack against Hezbollah members, killing a dozen people and wounding more than 3,000.
The peak was the assassination 10 days later of Nasrallah in his bunker in Beirut's southern suburbs, along with several of his military commanders.
Hezbollah was further weakened when Israel stepped up its strikes by killing more of its officials and destroying its headquarters, missiles launchers and bases.
The relentless Israeli air and ground bombardment led to large destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in Beirut's southern suburbs and in southern and eastern Lebanon.
The EU top official warned that Lebanon "is on the brink of collapse," with the large destruction in south Lebanon and Israeli airstrikes killing more than 3,670 people and wounding 15,413 -- "three times more" than in the Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006.
Borrell, who later met with Army commander Gen. Jospeh Aoun, disclosed that the EU was "ready to devote 200 million euros to the Lebanese armed forces" to help it take charge of security in the country, especially in south Lebanon after the Israeli withdrawal.
He warned that the Middle East is "putting the international community at a test," saying that the "price of no peace in the Middle East has become exorbitant, unaffordable."
Also Sunday, one Lebanese soldier was killed and 18 wounded in an Israeli attack on their post in southern Lebanon, while Israeli intensive air strikes resumed on Beirut's southern suburbs.
The Lebanese Army said in a statement that Israel targeted an Army post in Al Amriyeh on the Qlaileh-Tyre road. Some of the 18 hurt had critical injuries, and the post was badly damaged, according to the statement.
Civil Defense teams rushed to the site to evacuate the casualties to nearby hospitals and extinguish the fire that broke out.
Prime Minister Mikati said the Israeli attack on the Army post "was a direct bloody message, rejecting all efforts and contacts to reach a cease-fire and boost the presence of the Army in south Lebanon."
He said Lebanon expressed its commitment to Resolution 1701 and to boosting the Army presence in southern Lebanon, adding that Sunday's attack was part of "a series of repeated aggressions" on the Army and Lebanese civilians.
According to The Times of Israel website, the Israeli Army apologized for striking the Lebanese Army post, saying that "the incident took place in an area where fighting is ongoing" against Hezbollah.
The Israeli Army said that "it is fighting in a targeted manner against the Hezbollah terror organization, and not against the Lebanese Army." The incident is under further investigation, it added.
Meanwhile, Israel had issued warnings to the remaining residents of Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate before it carried out several strikes, hitting buildings in al Hadath-Kafaat and Bourj al-Brajneh quarters.
State-run Lebanese news agency said the fresh strikes "caused massive destruction over a large geographical area."
The Lebanese Health Ministry issued an updated casualty toll of an Israeli strike that flattened two buildings in the Basta neighborhood in the heart of Beirut early Saturday, counting 29 killed and 67 wounded.
Hezbollah, which continued to battle Israeli forces advancing in several areas in southern Lebanon, fired more than 200 rockets at the Tel Aviv area and northern Israel. Several people were wounded, according to the Haaretz website.
