A major war in the Middle East is “a real danger”, a Cabinet minister has warned.
An escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah occurred overnight.
Early on Sunday, the Israeli military launched what it described as “pre-emptive” strikes against the militant group, saying it had detected plans to attack Israel.
Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. It launched a series of drones against targets in Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an air strike on Beirut last month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says "we are determined to do everything to defend our country - adding "whoever harms us, we will harm them"
— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) August 25, 2024
For more on this and other news visit https://t.co/NEDMP2uP6W
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK is “very concerned” by the escalation.
“Even as this unfolds, the UK Government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war. That is the real danger facing the area,” he said.
“We hope this doesn’t turn out to be that and we hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation.”
British ministers have been involved in an international diplomatic effort to avoid further escalation to the conflict between Israel and Hamas that erupted following the terrorist group’s attack on Israel last October.
Since coming to office last month, new Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey have visited the region, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Iran’s president in a phone call this month not to attack Israel.
Recommended reading:
Palestinian death toll above 40,000 in Israel-Hamas war, health ministry says
UK minister urges de-escalation after Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire
New talks aimed at stopping Israel-Hamas war to take place on Thursday
Iran supports both Hamas and Hezbollah and has previously expressed a desire to make Israel “regret” the air strike that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Sunday’s outbreak of hostilities came as Egypt is hosting another round of talks aimed at securing an end to the conflict in Gaza.
Reports from the region suggested there have been no further strikes following the initial exchange of fire early on Sunday, but the situation remains tense.
Israel said earlier that it expected an “extensive” Hezbollah response and declared a 48-hour state of emergency, giving the military special powers.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here