On April 15, the foreign ministers of 17 countries, including France and Spain, issued a joint statement on April 14 regarding the situation in Lebanon, welcoming direct negotiations between Israel and the Lebanese government representatives and urging both sides to seize the opportunity. The statement said that Lebanon should be included in efforts to ease the regional situation, and that direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel would “lay the groundwork” for achieving durable regional security. All parties should immediately de-escalate tensions and take advantage of the ceasefire between the US and Iran.

The statement condemned Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and urged it to stop immediately. At the same time, it condemned Israel’s large-scale airstrikes launched against Lebanon on the 8th and emphasized that civilians and civilian facilities must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law. The statement also condemned attacks targeting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and expressed support for and solidarity with the Lebanese government and people.

The statement was jointly issued by the 17 foreign ministers of France, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.