Israeli army soldiers gather on the border with Lebanon in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel. AFP
"A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict," said the joint statement from the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
The statement said that the leaders were "gravely concerned by the escalating violence in Lebanon" and called for "meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives to negotiate a sustainable political solution".
Earlier on Monday Israel's occupation army said it had launched "limited" ground operations in southern Lebanon.
The leaders' statement said that "the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, including ongoing mass displacement, is already deeply alarming".
The statement condemned the resistance group Hezbollah for joining hostilities following the Israeli-US war on Iran, and expressed solidarity with the Lebanese government and people, who it said had been unwillingly drawn into the conflict.
However, the leaders stopped short of condemning Israel’s ongoing military campaign, which has killed at least 850 people in Lebanon in two weeks, and made no mention of Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire agreed in November 2024.
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