Israel-Hezbollah conflict close to ‘full-fledged war,’ says EU top diplomat

Israel and Hezbollah are basically at war, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said.

“This situation is extremely dangerous and worrying. I can say that we are almost in a full-fledged war,” Josep Borrell said late Monday after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “If this is not a war situation, I don’t know what you would call it.”

Israeli forces carried out hundreds of airstrikes Monday in a major escalation of tensions with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group and political party based in Lebanon. Lebanese health officials said the strikes killed at least 492 people, including 35 children, and displaced hundreds. 

Israel’s defense minister said Monday that they will intensify their attacks in Lebanon until they achieve their goals, bringing the residents of northern Israel “back safely to their homes.”

Borrell — who has been a persistent critic of Israel since it began retaliating against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip — condemned the Israeli attacks, which he said were forcing civilians to pay an “unacceptable price.”