Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer visits Beirut, bringing total UK support to £30 million

The UK has announced £20.5 million in new humanitarian support for Lebanon.

This comes as a ceasefire, which US President Donald Trump claims to have brokered, came into effect late Thursday after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun agreed it.

Britain’s Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer made a one-day visit to Beirut to meet the country’s senior leadership and witness the scale of the crisis on the ground.

No mention of Hezbollah

Falconer’s public statements, some of which are quoted below from a UK Government press release, notably fail to mention the elephant in the room – Lebanon-based Islamic terror group Hezbollah, backed by Iran’s Islamic regime since its founding in 1982. The group’s sworn mission is to eradicate Israel, to the south, and it continues to have significant influence in Lebanese politics. 

Meeting with Lebanese leaders

Minister Falconer met with Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, expressing support for direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel as the best route to lasting peace.

He said: “People in Lebanon are yet again living through a devastating conflict that neither they nor their government has chosen, with displacement stripping families of security and dignity. That is why the UK is committing further support, providing vital funding to support those most in need.”

Families and children bearing the brunt

During the visit, Minister Falconer toured a public school in Furn El Chebbak now serving as a collective shelter for displaced families in Beirut. 

He heard from families who had fled their homes with little more than essentials, with children facing a seventh year of disrupted schooling.

Calls for diplomacy to prevail

British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell said daily Israeli strikes had displaced more than one million civilians and caused widespread destruction. 

He said: “Diplomacy is the right path and we welcome the talks taking place this week.”

Minister Falconer also reaffirmed the UK’s long-standing support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which has totalled more than £120 million since 2009, describing them as the sole legitimate defenders of the country.