Contacts have intensified between Lebanon and international powers to de-escalate the tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held telephone talks with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss the situation in Lebanon and the region, the PM’s office said on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, Mikati had received German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Beirut.
The FM underlined the need to “avoid any miscalculations and keep Lebanon away from the conflict” in Gaza as much as possible.
For his part, Mikati said: “We are exerting all our efforts to restore calm in the South.”
He called for pressure to be applied on Israel to “stop its aggression against Lebanon and reach a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Baerbock met her Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib. They agreed that the two-state solution would pave the way to tackling the root causes of the conflict in Gaza.
“We are banking on Germany’s influence in Europe and the world and its experience in suffering the calamities of war to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered” to the enclave, Bou Habib added.
He also warned that the dangerous consequences of the conflict will not only impact the Middle East, but Europe in specific and the entire world.
The minister made the same warning before several ambassadors to Lebanon, including the envoys of Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Canada.
He urged their countries to intervene to pressure Israel to stop its escalation, while warning of the rising hate speech and incitement to violence that would spread to the West.
Meanwhile, caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Sleep received a telephone call from his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu for talks on the developments in southern Lebanon and Gaza.
Lecornu stressed that France was carrying out contacts with the international community to discuss the developments in Gaza.
He stressed “the need for Lebanon to steer clear of the repercussions of the situation in the Palestinian territories.”
Lebanon is a priority for France, he declared.
He also highlighted the role of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in the south and the need to avoid escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
For his part, Sleem pointed to the “ongoing Israeli violations against civilians and civilian, health and religious infrastructure in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
He said close coordination was ongoing between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL.
The situation in the South was discussed between Army Commander Joseph Aoun and a US Congressional delegation. They tackled the overall situation in Lebanon and its military and the challenges it is facing.
Aoun also held talks with Air Marshal Sampson, UK Defense Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa, who was in Lebanon for a two-day visit.
Sampson underscored the UK’s stance that Lebanon must not be dragged into a regional conflict.
He stressed that the Lebanese army was leading efforts to protect Lebanon’s security and stability, and this is a priority for the UK.
He also met with Mikati during his visit and contacted UNIFIL commander Aroldo Lazaro, expressing the UK’s support to the peacekeeping force and its significant role in preserving calm and stability.
