A 'miscalculation' could cause war between Hezbollah and Israel, warns Baerbock

German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock warned in Beirut on Tuesday that a "miscalculation" could trigger a full-scale war between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel at any moment, urging both sides to exercise restraint.

Since the war began on Oct. 7 between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah has been exchanging daily fire with the Israeli army at the border, with violence recently intensifying.

"With every rocket crossing the Blue Line, the danger increases that a miscalculation could trigger a war," Baerbock wrote on X, referring to the UN-demarcated line between Lebanon and Israel. She called on all parties to "exercise utmost restraint."

Coming from Israel, the German minister met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who stated that the best way to achieve "a return to calm in southern Lebanon is to end the Israeli aggression and fully implement UN Resolution 1701."

This resolution, adopted after the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, stipulates that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in southern Lebanon.

The United States also warned on Tuesday of the "disastrous consequences" of a new conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, urging a "diplomatic" solution.

More than eight months of violence between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have left at least 481 dead in Lebanon, including a majority of Hezbollah fighters and 94 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to Israel.

Baerbock announced on X an "additional humanitarian aid" of 18 million euros to Lebanon, specifically for food, housing, and medical needs.

In January, Berlin had promised 15 million euros in aid to the Lebanese army.

The German diplomat also noted that "millions of refugees pose major challenges" to Lebanon, which is mired in a deep economic crisis.

Lebanon claims to host nearly two million Syrian refugees since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, the highest ratio per capita in the world.