‘’We welcome the call of the Lebanese authorities for direct negotiations with Israel. It is essential that Lebanon and Israel enter into direct discussions. We reiterate our call for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by all sides and support the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah and end its military activities,’’ an EU spokesperson said in a statement.

The European Union called on Israel to ‘’cease its operations’’ in Lebanon, condemned Hezbollah’s refusal to hand over arms and its continuation of indiscriminate attacks against Israel, and welcomed the call of the Lebanese authorities for direct negotiations with Israel.

In a statement by the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs, the EU said ‘’it is deeply concerned about the ongoing Israeli offensive in Lebanon which already has devastating humanitarian consequences and risks triggering a prolonged conflict.’’

‘’The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is already dramatic, with ongoing mass displacement of more than 1 million people, representing some 25% of the overall Lebanese population,’’ the statement adds.

‘’Civilians are paying the highest price also in terms of casualties, already amounting at approximately 900 people, including more than 100 children, according to the Health Ministry of Lebanon,’’ the statement says.

The EU condemned Hezbollah’s decision ‘’to plunge Lebanon into this war, its refusal to hand over arms and its continuation of indiscriminate attacks against Israel.’’

On March 2, a few days after the U.S.-Israeli attacks against the Iranian regime, Hezbollah started launching rockets at northern Israel.

‘’The attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as UNIFIL are unjustified and unacceptable and should stop immediately.’’

‘’We welcome the call of the Lebanese authorities for direct negotiations with Israel. It is essential that Lebanon and Israel enter into direct discussions. We reiterate our call for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by all sides and support the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah and end its military activities,’’ the statement concluded.

EU leaders, who are meeting on Thursday in Brussels, are discussing the latest developments in the Middle East. ”The Iran’s attacks on Qatar energy infrastructure create further chaos and it is clear that we need an exit from this war, not escalation.  That is why I have been also doing the diplomatic outreach to Iran to find different solutions,” declared EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.