Foreign Secretary David Lammy has urged actors in the Middle East to “avoid miscalculation” as he visited Lebanon in an effort to prevent escalation of tensions.
Mr Lammy was joined by Defence Secretary John Healey to meet with the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Bou Habib.
The Foreign Secretary and his Cabinet colleague also visited Qatar on Wednesday to call for de-escalation of the fighting and to press for an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Fears about escalation in the region have grown after Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an air strike on Iranian capital Tehran which the militant group blames on Israel.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed over Mr Haniyeh’s coffin during his funeral at Tehran University on Thursday while Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian stood next to him.
State television later showed the coffins placed in a truck and moved on the street toward Azadi Square in Tehran, and people throwing flowers at them.
The Israelis have, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for a strike on a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, targeting the Hezbollah commander allegedly behind the deaths of 12 children and teenagers in a rocket attack on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights over the weekend.
Earlier in the week the Foreign Office advised all British citizens to leave Lebanon, with Mr Lammy warning they risk “becoming trapped in a warzone” if they stay in the country.
Following his meeting with Lebanese officials, Mr Lammy posted to X: “We must prevent further escalation in the Middle East and avoid miscalculation.”
We must prevent further escalation in the Middle East and avoid miscalculation.
I visited Lebanon with Defence Secretary @JohnHealey_MP for talks with PM @Najib_Mikati, Speaker Nabih Berri and FM Bou Habib.
It is in no one’s interest for others to be drawn into this conflict. pic.twitter.com/UaoWTiQGBn
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 1, 2024
He added: “It is in no-one’s interest for others to be drawn into this conflict.”
Israel had pledged to kill Mr Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. The strike came just hours after Israel targeted a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Iran supports Hamas, as well as Hezbollah and other Palestinian militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “all parties” in the Middle East must avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict.
