KABUL: Senior officials of the European Union have strongly criticized Israel’s deadly and destructive strikes on Lebanon, saying that Israel’s right to self-defense does not justify the widespread destruction caused.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said in a post on X on Thursday that the overnight Israeli attacks had claimed the lives of hundreds of people in Lebanon.
Kallas added that the strikes have also put pressure on the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, stressing that any agreement between Washington and Tehran should also include Lebanon.
She also said that Hezbollah had drawn Lebanon into the conflict with Israel, while emphasizing the need for the group’s disarmament.
According to reports, at least 250 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon late Wednesday.
In response, the Lebanese government declared a day of national mourning following the heavy casualties.
Meanwhile, leaders of many countries have called for Lebanon to be included in the US–Iran ceasefire agreement—an idea that Tehran has supported from the outset.