The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Lebanese counterpart expressed their concern this Thursday about the risk that Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza could spread throughout the region, which also reaches the border with Lebanon.
João Gomes Cravinho held a telephone conversation today with the head of Lebanese diplomacy, Abdallah Bou Habib, to analyze the situation in the region and in that country in particular.
Portugal and Lebanon share “concern about the risk of regional spread of the current situation of instability,” highlighted the head of Portuguese diplomacy in a note on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Since October 8, a day after the Hamas offensive against Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, injured thousands and more than 200 hostages, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and Israel have launched a series of attacks crossed. in the border areas of both countries, where some acts claimed by Palestinian factions located in Lebanese territory also took place.
The Government of Lebanon has been maintaining national and international contacts for days to prevent the country from becoming a second war front in the Gaza Strip – which the Israeli army has been bombing for 13 days in retaliation for the attack by Hamas in power. in that poor Palestinian enclave since 2007 and classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union (EU) and Israel, while more and more countries urge their citizens to leave Lebanon.
The Portuguese minister also held a conversation today with his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, where “the importance of urgently resuming political dialogue and mobilizing the international community to build a lasting peace” was highlighted.
In recent days, the head of Portuguese diplomacy has held several telephone and personal conversations with his counterparts from neighboring countries of Israel and Palestine, insisting on Portugal’s position, which recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself, as long as it protects lives. of civilians in the Gaza area.
Gomes Cravinho has also insisted on the need to contain the conflict, preventing its escalation, and create conditions for adequate humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict.
Today marks the thirteenth day of the war, which began with the surprise attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Israeli territory that, according to Jewish authorities, caused around 1,400 deaths and 4,000 injuries.
The Islamist movement also captured 200 people, held them captive in Gaza and some of them were killed, according to Hamas, by Israeli bombing. Other militias captured another 50 people, making a total of 250 hostages.
Source: TSF
