EU's Borrell urges Security Council to step in amid 'alarming' death toll in Lebanon

'Security Council has to play its role. We urgently need to halt the path to war. Both sides need to implement an immediate ceasefire,' says foreign policy chief

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The EU foreign policy chief on Tuesday voiced concern over the alarming death toll from repeated Israeli attacks in Lebanon, urging the UN Security Council to step in as well as a cease-fire on both sides.

"The death toll of Israeli strikes in Lebanon is alarming. The latest figures say over 500 casualties, with 50 children among the victims," Josep Borrell wrote on X.

At least 558 people have been killed, including 95 women and 50 children, and 1,835 others injured in the Israeli attacks in Lebanon since Monday morning, according to Lebanese authorities.

Borrell urged the UN Security Council to "play its role," saying: "We urgently need to halt the path to war. Both sides need to implement an immediate ceasefire."

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.

Kaynak: