“Humanitarian aid cannot be a solution on its own”: the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, sounded the alarm as she began her solidarity visit to Lebanon on Friday 8 May.
Faced with international humanitarian law being “flouted on a daily basis”, she demanded an immediate ceasefire, again calling on Israel to stop bombing civilian infrastructure and on Hezbollah to disarm.
On the ground, the emergency response is being stepped up: tomorrow, the Commissioner will welcome the seventh humanitarian flight via the European airlift to Beirut. Since the escalation of the regional conflict in March, the EU has mobilised €100 million to help a population “caught in a vice”. The toll is dramatic, with more than 2,500 dead and a million displaced, while one Lebanese in four is at risk of acute food insecurity this summer.
Ms Lahbib reaffirmed the EU’s commitment as a “reliable partner” during her meetings with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, noting that more than €3 billion had been paid to the country since 2011. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)