Visiting Beirut, German FM calls for ‘viable’ diplomatic solution to conflict

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives in Beirut for talks, and says the task is to find a viable diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon after Israel succeeded in weakening the Hezbollah terror group.

“The task now is to work with our partners in the US, Europe and the Arab world to find a viable diplomatic solution that safeguards the legitimate security interests of both Israel and Lebanon,” Baerbock says in a statement.

The foreign minister warns that Lebanon is “on the brink of collapse,” and says that “a complete destabilization of the country would be fatal for the most religiously diverse society of all states in the Middle East and also for the entire region.”

She also asks all parties involved in the conflict to protect the UNIFIL peacekeeper troops stationed in the Israeli-Lebanese border region, and says that “any deliberate attack on UN peacekeepers violates international humanitarian law.”