Josep Borrell Travels to Lebanon as Middle East Tensions Rise

Beirut (Eurotoday) – Lebanese PM Mikati met EU’s Josep Borrell in Beirut, discussing ceasefire efforts and Middle East peace solutions.

Lebanese National Agency reported on 24 Nov 2024 that Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati is having a blank” rel=”noopener”>discussion with European Union High Representative, Josep Borrell at his residence in Beirut.

How is the EU engaging with Middle Eastern partners?

The EU foreign policy chief is visiting the Middle East this week and having several meetings, including with Lebanese and Palestinian leaders. Josep Borrell travelled to Jordan, Cyprus and Lebanon as part of his Middle East visit from Nov. 20–24 to consult with partners in the region about a possible way forward toward sustainable cease-fires in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and a longer-term process based on a two-state solution.

Borrell’s trip to Lebanon is noticed as a further approach by European diplomacy to try to reconcile the conflict in the Middle East in which Lebanon is mourning Israel’s brutal attacks directly in its capital after the already existing dispute on the border between Hezbollah and the Israeli army escalated.

In Lebanon, over 3,670 people have perished, and more than 15,400 have been wounded since hostilities escalated between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the contest in Gaza has resulted in 44,176 fatalities and 104,473 wounds, highlighting the region’s deepening humanitarian crisis.