Lebanon is 'on the brink of collapse,' warns German FM from Beirut

"Lebanon is on the brink of collapse," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned Wednesday during a surprise visit to Beirut in the midst of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. She also said that "any deliberate attack on U.N. peacekeepers" constituted "a violation of international humanitarian law."

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in the south of the country, has accused Israeli troops of "repeatedly" and "deliberately" firing on its positions. "The obligation to protect U.N. peacekeepers applies to all parties to the conflict," Baerbock said. "UNIFIL troops have our full support. They are necessary to find a political solution to the conflict."

German Dilemma

The German minister also noted that her country was "facing a dilemma" regarding the export of arms to Israel, adding that Israel had a responsibility to respect international law, reports Reuters.

Baerbock was also received in Ain al-Tineh by the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri. Political developments, Israeli attacks and the military escalation in Lebanon were at the heart of the meeting, which lasted about an hour and at the end of which the official did not make a statement to the press.

Commenting on the German minister's visit on X, the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, asked "whether it would not be better to do without certain statements or analyses by certain commentators or high-ranking visitors, such as the German foreign minister, and to concentrate on the French effort to help Lebanon." The comment was apparently later removed.

On Monday, Berlin urged the Israeli government to "clarify every incident" involving UNIFIL and called on it to shed light on the destruction of an observation tower and a fence in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold where Israel is carrying out aerial bombardments and a ground offensive.

Despite this "pressure on the mission", UNIFIL – which has 10,000 peacekeepers – affirmed that it would continue to "monitor and report" on the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

On Friday, she warned of "the vast destruction" of towns and villages in southern Lebanon.