Rajji to European delegation: Israel must be forced to stop its violations

Foreign Minister Joe Rajji on Thursday urged the international community to apply "pressure" on Israel to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and emphasized the need for the return of Syrian refugees to their country. He also discussed reform efforts during a meeting with a European delegation led by Stefano Sannino, the European Commission’s director-general for the Middle East and North Africa.

Rajji reaffirmed "Lebanon’s categorical rejection of Israel’s ongoing aggression, its daily attacks in the south, and its renewed strikes in Beirut." Since the cease-fire took effect in November 2024, ending more than 13 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, 127 Lebanese have been killed, and 47 deadly raids carried out, including 41 in southern Lebanon. In recent days, the southern suburbs of Beirut were targeted by two Israeli strikes, while Israeli forces remain stationed at five positions in southern Lebanon.

The foreign minister called on the European Union and the international community to "apply the utmost pressure on Israel to compel it to withdraw from all Lebanese territories, cease its attacks and violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, respect the declaration of cessation of hostilities, and implement U.N. Resolution 1701," which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel and serves as the framework for the current cease-fire agreement.

"Rapid return to Syria"

On another front, as the Akkar region in northern Lebanon has received more than 20,000 new Syrian refugees fleeing massacres along Syria’s west coast since March 6—primarily targeting the Alawite population—Rajji stressed "the need to initiate a process of rapid return to Syria and create the conditions conducive to this return." He urged the EU to "reconsider its approach to this issue in light of significant changes in Syria."

Speaking at a donor conference for Syria in Brussels on March 17, Rajji had already argued that with the fall of Bashar Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, there was no longer a legal justification for the continued presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. According to U.N. estimates, Lebanon hosts nearly 1 million Syrian refugees.

Rajji also emphasized "the Lebanese government’s determination to pursue economic, financial, and administrative reforms" and discussed bilateral relations with the EU. He confirmed "Lebanon’s cooperation with the EU to develop the new Charter for the Mediterranean," which aims to strengthen strategic cooperation between the European Commission and the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries.

On March 28, during President Joseph Aoun’s visit to the Élysée, French, Lebanese, Syrian, Cypriot, and Greek leaders held discussions on the Eastern Mediterranean, addressing "challenges related to maritime security" and "the impact of the regional environment on stability," according to the French presidency.