The Foreign Secretary has urged Britons to leave Lebanon amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, warning the situation could “deteriorate rapidly”.
David Lammy expressed concern about “rising tensions and civilian casualties”.
Israel carried out air strikes on southern Lebanon on Thursday while Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to retaliate following this week’s two deadly attacks targeting Lebanese militants with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.
In a televised speech, Nasrallah said the attacks, widely believed to have been carried out by Israel’s spy agency, had been a “severe blow”.
They killed 37 – including two children – and wounded more than 3,000.
On Thursday evening, Lammy said he had spoken to Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati and “expressed my deep concern over rising tensions and civilian casualties in Lebanon”.
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I spoke with @Najib_Mikati and expressed my deep concern over rising tensions and civilian casualties in Lebanon.
We discussed the need for a negotiated solution to restore stability and security across the Blue Line.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) September 19, 2024
He added that he and Mikati had discussed “the need for a negotiated solution to restore stability and security” across the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Lammy went on to repeat the Foreign Office’s warning to British nationals, urging them to leave Lebanon “while commercial options remain” as the situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.
He later called for an immediate ceasefire between the two sides.
Two Israeli soldiers were reported to have been killed by Hezbollah in the group’s own cross-border attacks.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant meanwhile vowed that Israeli civilians would return to the country’s north as he promised Hezbollah would “pay an increasing price”.
On Wednesday in the wake of the attacks using exploding Hezbollah walkie-talkies and pagers Gallant said: “We are at the start of a new phase in the war – it requires courage, determination and perseverance.”
He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive”.
Fears of an all-out war have mounted as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire across Lebanon’s southern border.
Israeli leaders have warned that they could launch a stepped-up military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to stop the group’s fire to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to homes near the border.
Nasrallah vowed that Hezbollah will keep going on with its attacks along the border with Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues.
“The Lebanese front will not stop before the aggression on Gaza stops,” he said.
Hezbollah’s renewed offensive followed Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, and both groups are backed by Iran.
Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami told Nasrallah on Thursday according to state media.
Western countries including the UK have repeatedly urged restraint, arguing escalation could lead to a regional war.
Speaking in Paris, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged restraint, adding he did not want to see any escalatory actions by any party that make a Gaza ceasefire deal even more difficult.
The Foreign Office continues to advise against all travel to Lebanon.
