Hezbollah 'not seeking war', Borrell says after visit to Lebanon

Borrell, who was in Lebanon three days after Hamas's top figure Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an alleged Israeli operation, said the renewed tension "has only reinforced the need" for him to visit Lebanon amid months of intense cross-border exchanges of fire between the Shiite movement and Israeli forces.

During his pre-planned visit, Borrell engaged in high-level talks with Lebanese leaders as part of his efforts to prevent a war between Lebanon and Israel. He also met with Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc leader, Mohammad Raad.

"I have deduced that Hezbollah is not seeking war, or is not seeking a war of greater intensity and greater extension," Borrell said.

"My impression, which I hope is not wrong, is that they are perfectly aware of the seriousness of the situation and the consequences that a greater confrontation would have, which could drag Iran into it," he added.

The EU's foreign policy chief recognised that the situation in Lebanon is "critical" and that "things have gotten uglier on the ground" after the assassination of al-Arouri in a Beirut suburb.

On Saturday (6 January), Hezbollah fired more than 60 missiles at an Israeli intelligence centre in response to the assassination on Tuesday, marking the first such attack near the Lebanese capital since the war with Israel in 2006.

"Every action causes a reaction, which in turn causes another. That's what is called escalation. If someone doesn't put the brakes on, we can be on the edge of a precipice," Borrell warned.

While Borrell said he believes that the clashes are currently within the so-called rules of engagement, he sees it "very difficult, if not impossible," for Hezbollah and other Iranian allies in the so-called Axis of Resistance to keep quiet as long as Israeli bombings continue in Gaza.

In Borrell's opinion, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate should focus on addressing "the factors of instability" affecting the border areas between Lebanon and Israel, divided by an un-demarcated line in disputed territories.

"I think there will have to be some negotiation that deals with everything at once, and that should be possible," he said.

Earlier this week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah opened the door to future dialogue to delineate the boundary between the two countries, which are currently separated by a UN-drawn withdrawal line. However, he conditioned it on the prior end of the Gaza war.

Nevertheless, the EU's top diplomat urged "progress in the task" as much as possible, acknowledging that a territorial dispute is not resolved in a "weekend" and that some aspects, such as the possibility of Hezbollah disarming in the south, "now seem a bit utopian."

Borrell said he does not believe he has "lost" his ability to speak to the Arab world due to the fragmented position of the EU regarding support for a ceasefire in Gaza.

He recalled that he insisted "from the beginning" that Israel must respect "the rules of war."

The EU's chief diplomat condemned civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave, highlighting its "serious" humanitarian crisis and decrying the "completely unacceptable" statements made by several Israeli government ministers.

"It is not acceptable that in the government of a democratic country that is an ally of Europe, they say the things they say about the fate of the Palestinians. And they have to understand that criticising the government of Israel cannot be accused of being anti-Zionist," Borrell said.

Another ramification of the Gaza war is the attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea, a problem that Europe considered addressing by expanding the mandate of its anti-piracy mission in the Indian Ocean, a move Spain opposed.

Borrell said he would "propose" the creation of a specific operation to protect maritime trade in the Red Sea, which will have to be approved "unanimously," and countries that wish to participate can do so.

"We are going to put it on the table in the meetings next week in Brussels."

[Edited by Alice Taylor]