German FM warns of 'miscalculation' risk on Lebanon-Israel border

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has cautioned that "miscalculation" could trigger all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, urging the need for "extreme restraint" as tensions soar.

Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel sparked war in the Gaza Strip.

"With every rocket across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, the danger grows that a miscalculation could trigger a hot war," Baerbock said Tuesday on X during a visit to Beirut, referring to the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.

"All who bear responsibility must exercise extreme restraint," she added.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Israeli troops and positions on Tuesday, while Lebanon's official National News Agency reported Israeli strikes in parts of southern Lebanon.

Baerbock met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said the best way to reach "a return to calm in south Lebanon is to put an end to the Israeli aggression... and fully apply United Nations (Security Council) Resolution 1701", a statement from his office said.

The resolution ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and called for the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed in the country's south.

Also Tuesday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said three contractors returning home from the peacekeepers' base in the south Lebanon village of Shamaa "had their vehicle hit by gunfire", reporting "no serious injuries".

"We reiterate our condemnation of any attack on civilians, or any action that puts civilian lives in danger," UNIFIL deputy spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said in a statement, without indicating the source of the fire.

"This includes the locals who continue to reside in their villages and provide essential services to support peacekeepers in their work," she added.

Ardiel urged all parties "to cease their fire and work toward a diplomatic solution to bring the violence to an end".

- 'Major challenges' -

Baerbock also met her Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib during her brief trip to Beirut, which came after visits to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

She noted that Lebanon's hosting of many refugees poses "major challenges", referring to Syrians who have fled conflict in their country across the border since 2011.

"We will therefore provide another 18 million euros ($19 million) for humanitarian aid -- specifically for food, accommodation and doctors," she said in the statement.

On a previous visit in January, Baerbock pledged 15 million euros to bolster the Lebanese army, which like other national institutions has faced funding problems since the country's economy collapsed in late 2019.

Several Western diplomats have visited Lebanon in recent months, seeking to dial down cross-border tensions, including U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein who last week called for "urgent" de-escalation.

On Tuesday, Canada urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave "while they can", and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spark a regional war.

Eight months of cross-border violence has killed at least 481 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including 94 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in the country's north.