EU leaders mull strengthening Lebanon ties in response to Middle East crisis

"We had an in-depth treatment connected Lebanon," the European Council President told reporters pursuing a acme of EU leaders successful Brussels precocious connected Wednesday.

"They person a batch of Syrian refugees successful Lebanon and we each recognize it's our work to prosecute with this state (...) including the Lebanese equipped forces," Michel explained, adding that aboriginal practice with Lebanon could see steps to negociate migration flows into Europe.

In the summit's conclusions, the 27 leaders accidental they basal acceptable to "work with each partners to debar further escalation of tensions successful the region, notably successful Lebanon." 

It comes aft tensions betwixt Iran and Israel reached a unsafe precocious implicit the play erstwhile Tehran launched an unprecedented barrage of drones and missiles towards Israeli territory.

A deepening economical situation and fragile authorities makes Lebanon peculiarly susceptible to the instability gripping the region. The beingness of the Iranian-backed militant radical Hezbollah - which has continuously exchanged occurrence crossed the borderline with Israel since the outbreak of the warfare with Hamas, and which took portion successful Tehran’s aerial onslaught past play - besides risks dragging the state into the deepening conflict.

The state is besides location to immoderate 210,000 Palestinian and 1.5 cardinal Syrian refugees, meaning further instability could unleash a question of migrants towards Europe.

Last week, Cyprus announced it would halt the processing of asylum applications owed to a surge successful arrivals of Syrian refugees transiting done Lebanon and attempting to scope the island, which lies conscionable 260 km disconnected the Lebanese seashore successful the Mediterranean sea.

Speaking up of the conference, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides announced helium and Commission President von der Leyen would question to Lebanon successful aboriginal May to code a scope of issues, including migration.

Christodoulides besides said helium would promote different EU leaders to see reassessing the alleged "safe areas" wrong Syria successful bid to facilitate the instrumentality of migrants and refugees.

Michel, however, refrained from confirming whether different leaders had backed the proposal. "We request to prosecute with Lebanon, that’s precise clear. Migration is lone 1 aspect," Michel said.

"We effort to prosecute with 3rd countries to make partnerships connected migration, but not lone connected migration," helium added.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among the leaders that called for an "assessment" of the concern successful Lebanon, Michel said.

Since sweeping to powerfulness successful precocious 2022, Meloni has been a cardinal operator successful EU efforts to fortify the EU's alleged "external dimension" of migration by striking deals with 3rd countries that see targeted measures to ace down connected quality traffickers and curb the departures of irregular migrants towards European shores.

The bloc's woody with Tunisia, which injects EU currency into the North African state successful instrumentality for tighter migrant controls, has nevertheless been slammed by quality rights defenders for ignoring the documented abuses and authoritarian tendencies of the Tunisian government.