Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has arrived in Lebanon for crisis talks on an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia.
Baerbock is to first speak with the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the capital Beirut on Tuesday. Shortly before her return flight to Berlin, a meeting is also planned with the acting Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
At the Herzliya security conference near Tel Aviv on Monday evening, Baerbock demanded a complete and verifiable withdrawal of the Shiite militia from the border area between Lebanon and Israel. "The risk of an unintended escalation and an all-out war is growing daily. Extreme caution is therefore required," said Baerbock.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, there have been daily clashes between the Israeli army, Hezbollah and allied groups in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah has an arsenal of around 150,000 rockets. In the event of war, it could fire thousands of rockets a day at Israeli cities and take out important infrastructure. A hail of missiles could overwhelm Israel's missile defence.
