British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Sunday condemned the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s attacks against Israel, and called for diplomatic action to prevent further escalation.
“I am gravely concerned about the developing conflict in Lebanon, and the scale of the humanitarian impact. We must not see a widening of this conflict which is already causing significant civilian casualties and mass displacement. Our immediate focus is our humanitarian response in Lebanon and our diplomatic efforts with allies to prevent escalation," Cooper said in a statement.
She continued, “I strongly condemn Hezbollah’s ongoing attacks against Israel. These must cease immediately. The actions of this proscribed terrorist group - at the instigation of the Iranian regime - are once again drawing the people of Lebanon into a conflict they do not want and which is not in their interests."
Noting her conversation in recent days with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Cooper stressed, “We need clear diplomatic action to prevent this conflict widening."
“I welcome the commitments made by the Lebanese Government, including the significant decision to ban all Hezbollah military activities. We will continue to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese Government to assume full responsibility for security," she stressed.
Cooper warned, “A further expansion of this conflict must be averted. The forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people as a direct result of Israeli operations is completely unacceptable and could have disastrous humanitarian consequences."
She further announced the mobilization of over £5m in emergency funding to the Lebanese Red Cross, the UN Lebanon Humanitarian Fund and the World Food Programme, in support of the humanitarian work of the Lebanese Government.
“The shared focus should be on the threat from Hezbollah and on protecting civilians across Lebanon. I strongly welcome proposals for direct talks between the Lebanese Government and Israeli Government. This presents the best route to lasting peace and security for the people of Lebanon and the people of Israel. The UK stands ready to support these efforts alongside our partners," concluded the British Foreign Secretary.
Hezbollah was to have laid down its arms as part of the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel in November of 2024.
However, the terrorist group has condemned the Lebanese government's plan to disarm it and has repeatedly vowed to keep its arms.
A Hezbollah official said in late February that the terrorist organization will not intervene if the United States carries out "limited" strikes on Iran but warned that any attack on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be a "red line." Khamenei was eliminated in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes in Iran.
Lebanon became involved in the conflict on March 2 when Hezbollah launched missiles and drones on Israel, saying the attack was intended “to avenge the killing" of Khamenei. Israel has responded by striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.