On Thursday 31 October, the European Commission confirmed the arrival in Beirut of three flights carrying EU humanitarian stocks. This air bridge, established since early October (see EUROPE 13500/24), could be stepped up in the coming weeks.
“We are assessing the possibilities of increasing our assistance in this way”, said a spokesperson at midday on Thursday.
Faced with the bombardments and the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese authorities have asked for European support in the form of emergency medical equipment and medicines. In mid-October, the European Commissioners for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, and Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, urged EU Member States to step up their assistance (see EUROPE 13508/2).
According to the UN, more than 1.2 million people are currently displaced and face difficulties in accessing healthcare and basic necessities.
On Thursday morning, France announced that it was sending 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid by plane. This initiative is part of the operational follow-up to the Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty, held in Paris a week earlier (see EUROPE 13511/6). (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)