UK, Germany push to expand US-Iran ceasefire to Lebanon
Shafaq News- London/ Berlin
The United Kingdom and Germany on Monday underlined the need to include Lebanon in the temporary ceasefire recently signed between the United States and Iran, warning of a regional spillover if the fighting between Beirut and Tel Aviv intensifies.
UK Minister of State for the Middle East Hamish Falconer stressed that the strikes risk triggering a humanitarian crisis, adding, “Hezbollah must disarm and Israeli strikes stop now.”
The UK is clear that Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire. I have seen the vital work of @redcrosslebanon in Tebnine; the killing of an aid worker is tragic. Ongoing strikes risk a humanitarian crisis. Hizballah must disarm and Israeli strikes stop now.
— Hamish Falconer MP (@HFalconerMP) April 13, 2026
Der Spiegel, citing the German government, indicated that Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call to end fighting in Lebanon and open peace talks with the Lebanese government.
Earlier today, Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling struck multiple towns across eastern and southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fighters confronted an Israeli ground incursion into the southern city of Bint Jbeil, where clashes have continued for a fifth consecutive day. Israeli forces also deployed bulldozers into Naqoura, demolishing homes and parts of the town, while artillery fire hit several areas, including a historic site in Tyre listed by UNESCO.
Since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,089 people and injured 6,588 others, including women and children, the Health Ministry confirmed. Israel’s Health Ministry, operating under wartime restrictions, noted 7,693 injuries since the start of the war with Iran on February 28, including 104 people still receiving treatment, without disclosing an exact death toll.
