Lammy urges ‘restraint’ after Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates

Foreign secretary David Lammy has urged Israel to show “restraint” after an exchange of fire with Lebanese militants Hezbollah on Sunday morning.

The Israeli military carried out a series of air strikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, saying it had intelligence Hezbollah was planning to carry out an attack of its own.

The Iran-backed militants subsequently launched drones at Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an airstrike on Beirut last month.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lammy said he had spoken to Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and “reiterated the UK’s support for Israel’s security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages”.

He said: “Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs.”

Since becoming foreign secretary in July, Lammy has been heavily involved in Western diplomatic efforts to secure an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, paying a number of visits to the region.

Last week, he visited Israel alongside his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne, with the pair saying the “spiral of escalating reprisals must end”.

Earlier on Sunday, cabinet minister Pat McFadden had warned a regional war was “a real danger” if the situation continued to escalate.

Sunday’s outbreak of hostilities came as Egypt is hosting another round of talks aimed at securing an end to the conflict in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting militant group Hamas since the latter’s attack on October 7.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, with the Lebanese group also carrying out regular attacks on Israel since October.

Reports from the region suggest there have been no further strikes following the initial exchange of fire early on Sunday, but the situation remains tense.

British Airways and Wizz Air have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv in response to the strikes and Virgin Atlantic has delayed the resumption of flights to Israel following a “security and safety” assessment.

British Airways flights are not set to resume until Thursday at the earliest while a Virgin Atlantic spokesman said the airline will not resume daily flights until at least September 25.

Press Association – Christopher McKeon, Political Correspondent