Jerusalem – Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz spoke today (Monday, September 2, 2019) by telephone with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and issued a stern warning to the Lebanese Government: “If you do not restrain Hezbollah actions against Israel, all of Lebanon will suffer the consequences.”
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The two also discussed the latest developments in northern Israel. FM Katz made it clear to his counterpart that Israel has no desire to escalate the situation but is nevertheless prepared to continue to respond forcefully to any attack against it and holds Lebanon solely responsible for this.
FM Katz thanked FM Maas for the German involvement in the issue and for transferring communications, and requested that Germany continue to clearly emphasize the Israeli position, i.e., that the Lebanese government will pay a heavy price if it does not rein Hezbollah in.
The German FM noted his concern regarding developments yesterday and expressed the hope there will be no further escalation.
FM Katz called on his German counterpart to follow a similar move made by the British government and to impose sanctions on Hezbollah and declare it a terror organization.
FM Maas stated that Germany’s position on Hezbollah in Lebanon is similar to that of Israel, and that Germany will consider declaring Hezbollah a terror organization in the near future.
The two parties agreed to meet in the near future and decided to continue talks on security issues.