‘Israeli attacks are existential threats to us’ : Lebanese Ambassador

This article was originally published in Italian

Lebanon’s ambassador to Belgium Fadi Hajali has denounced the escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent days, calling it an “existential threat” to the Lebanese people in an interview with Euronews.

“The huge number of casualties is simply atrocious, unheard of in Lebanon in a single day,” Fadj said, referring to the Israeli bombardment on Monday which authorities say has killed over 500 people.

Hajali added that he hoped the international community will intervene to help resolve the conflict.

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has said that he fears the risk of a “full-blown war” following the escalation of tensions in recent days, urging an immediate ceasefire. The European Union has however yet to announce the possibility of sanctions against Israel.

Hajali told Euronews that Israeli raids mainly target the defenceless population of Lebanon and accused Israel of not distinguishing between civilian and military targets, which would constitute a violation of international human rights law.

The ambassador thanked the European Union for its economic and humanitarian support, which funds the army and hospitals, and for the condemnatory statements of Borrell.

He also however called on the EU to go one step further in imposing sanctions on Israel, saying, “So there are several possibilities: the EU institutions and member states can sanction Israel. Or at least review the entire EU-Israel relationship.”

Israeli Defence Forces claim to have hit dozens of targets of the militant Hezbollah group, which has frequently attacked northern Israel. Hajali told Euronews that the conflict extends beyond attacks on the group and is aimed at Lebanon as a whole.

“It is a war against a country, against a people, against civilians. For us, the most important issue is that this war ends. We should stop it now. If this obvious Israeli aggression against our country continues, we will all be united in denouncing it.”