UK's Cameron: Israel Should Think Before Further Action in Rafah 

12 February 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect the ruins of Al-Huda Mosque, which was destroyed following an Israeli bombing on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (dpa)
12 February 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect the ruins of Al-Huda Mosque, which was destroyed following an Israeli bombing on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (dpa)
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UK's Cameron: Israel Should Think Before Further Action in Rafah 

12 February 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect the ruins of Al-Huda Mosque, which was destroyed following an Israeli bombing on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (dpa)
12 February 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect the ruins of Al-Huda Mosque, which was destroyed following an Israeli bombing on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (dpa)

Israel should stop and think seriously before taking any further action in Rafah, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Monday, after airstrikes in the southern Gaza city that is the last refuge of about a million displaced civilians.

Local health officials said 67 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in the airstrikes, under the cover of which Israel freed two hostages.

Asked about the situation in Rafah and whether Israel had gone beyond international law, Cameron told reporters: "We think it is impossible to see how you can fight a war amongst these people. There's nowhere for them to go."

"We are very concerned about the situation and we want Israel to stop and think very seriously before it takes any further action. But above all, what we want is an immediate pause in the fighting and we want that pause to lead to a ceasefire."



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.