David Lammy, UK Foreign Secretary in London, on July 5, 2024. (Credit: Paul Ellis/AFP)
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday stressed during a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart Joe Raggi the need for Lebanon to "stay out of the ongoing war between Iran and Israel," warning of "serious consequences for the country if it intervenes in this conflict."
According to a statement from the Bustros Palace, Lammy expressed his country’s “support for Lebanon” to his counterpart. “The United Kingdom is working to prevent the war from spreading and to reach a diplomatic solution,” he added, stating that “Iran should comply with international resolutions regarding the nuclear issue.”
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that it is monitoring the situation of the Lebanese community in Iran and has been briefed on recent developments by Lebanon’s ambassador in Tehran, Hassan Abbas.
Regarding the situation in southern Lebanon, the UK Foreign Secretary emphasized that his country "will continue to do whatever is necessary to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five positions" where they remain deployed, despite the truce reached in November.
His remarks come as Israel and the Islamic Republic have been engaged in an unprecedentedly intense war for the past eight days. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Thursday that the group would act in the way it deems “appropriate” to support Iran, at a time when Lebanese authorities are seeking to spare their country from another war as Israeli bombardments continue.
