The European Commissioners for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, and Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, have urged EU member countries to provide Lebanon with medical supplies as a matter of urgency, in a letter sent to European ministers and made public on Monday 21 October, via X.
As the Israeli bombardment, which began on 23 September, developed into open conflict with Hezbollah, the Lebanese authorities asked the EU for assistance with “vital medical equipment and medicines”.
“The healthcare system is unable to cope with the growing number of casualties. Many patients are in urgent need of specialised medical treatment that is not available due to the destruction of the healthcare infrastructure”, stated the European Commissioners in their letter.
Mr Lenarčič and Ms Kyriakides call on EU Member States and States participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to provide any assistance offered via the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in order to “act swiftly and in a coordinated manner”.
UNIFIL. On Saturday, in Naples, on the sidelines of the meeting of the G7 defence ministers (see other news), the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said that the West should help the Lebanese state to assert its authority and guarantee the security of its borders.
Mr Borrell once again denounced the “totally unacceptable” attacks by the Israeli army on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). He did not rule out the possibility that after a ceasefire, the mandate of the UN force could be extended by the UN Security Council to give it an operational function and not just an observation function.
On Sunday, UNIFIL reported that the Israeli army had “deliberately demolished” one of its observation towers in a village in southern Lebanon.
Underlining their “unequivocal” commitment to Israel’s security, the G7 countries are calling for a return to security on the Israeli-Lebanese border, including for the civilian population.
To see the ‘G7 Defence’ declaration, go to https://aeur.eu/f/dyx (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit & Mathieu Bion)