The Israeli government says the aim of its military operation is to enable 60,000 displaced Israelis to return to their homes. Hezbollah says its fighters are ready to confront an Israeli invasion.
According to officials in Lebanon, more than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks, while up to a million may now be displaced.
Lammy and his US counterpart Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Monday. He said they had seen the media reports and were both urging “de-escalation”.
He added the UK would be keeping in touch with Iran, and reiterated the call for a 21-day ceasefire to enhance the prospect of a political solution.
His comments come after Sir Keir Starmer last week told British nationals in Lebanon to “leave immediately” as fighting intensified between Israel and Hezbollah.
Britons had previously been advised to book flights out of the country – but there were limited options available, with most airlines except the national carrier having cancelled flights.
The Ministry of Defence has sent nearly 700 troops to nearby Cyprus to prepare for the possible evacuation of British nationals from Lebanon and the government “continues to advise against all travel to Lebanon”.
Tensions have been growing across the Middle East since Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October last year, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others as hostages.
The Israel military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack has killed more than 41,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Previously sporadic fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on 8 October – the day after Hamas’s unprecedented attack. Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with Hamas.
Hezbollah has launched more than 8,000 rockets at northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It has also fired anti-tank missiles at armoured vehicles and attacked military targets with explosive drones.
Families of hostages in Gaza held a news conference in London, along with the relatives of other British-Israelis killed on 7 October, following a memorial event at Downing Street.
They said they felt let down and called on the government to do more to free their relatives. Earlier, they met Sir Keir and Lammy.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
