Diplomatic activity intensified in Lebanon on Tuesday to prevent the country from getting involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell stressed the importance of steering Lebanon clear of the conflict.
Britain's’ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warned on Tuesday against non-essential travel to Lebanon and against all travel to some areas in the south of the country.
It advised against all travel to the area south of the Litani river, which includes the main Naqoura-Tyre-Sidon-Beirut highway and areas to the west of it.
“In addition, we continue to advise against all travel to the Hermel Area, including the towns of Arsal, Ras Baalbek, Qaa, Labweh and Nahle, Palestinian refugee camps or within 5km of the border with Syria,” it said in a statement.
“We keep our travel advice under constant review. The situation is unpredictable and could deteriorate without warning,” it added.
The security developments in Gaza and southern Lebanon dominated diplomatic talks held by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
The PM’s office said Mikati held a series of security meetings at the Grand Serail in Beirut to discuss the security measures in the country. He met with acting General Security chief Elias al-Baysari, state security chief Antoine Saliba and Internal Security Forces chief Imad Othman.
The premier also received Egypt’s Ambassador to Beirut Yasser Alawi on a farewell visit. He also met with German Ambassador Kurt Georg Stockl-Stillfried. The officials did not make statements after the talks.
Mikati later met with Berri at his Ain al-Tineh residence to discuss the latest security and political developments. The speaker also received US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea. The PM and ambassador declined to make a statement after the meetings.
Hours earlier, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussawi warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it was not “in his interest” to wage a battle with the Iran-backed party.
He said intense contacts have been held with Mikati and Berri to keep Hezbollah away from the fighting in Gaza.
He noted, however, that Israel “involved itself by striking Hezbollah positions.” He warned that the party will retaliate to the killing of its members by Israel.
Meanwhile, FM Bou Habib received Cowell to discuss the developments in Gaza and Lebanon. He also met with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka.
Amid the tense backdrop, the government will meet at the Grand Serail on Thursday to discuss the latest developments and the Syrian refugee situation in Lebanon.
In a statement, Mikati’s office said he called for the meeting “in line with his constitutional duties and sense of national responsibility” given the tense situation in the country.
Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict in Gaza has stirred heated debate in Lebanon.
MP Bilal Abdullah said Israel’s escalation in southern Lebanon on Monday was an attempt to widen the war and garner western and American support.
In remarks to local radio, he stressed the need for all parties, especially Hezbollah, to act rationally and keep Lebanon away from a direct confrontation and limit the conflict to the Palestinians and Israelis.
Lebanon is in an unenviable position and its people cannot withstand more setbacks, he warned.
The Palestinian Hamas group claimed a rocket attack and Hezbollah exchanged fire with Israel in a third day of violence at the border that opened up a new front for Israel as it battles Hamas in Gaza.
Hezbollah fired a guided missile at an Israeli tank on Tuesday, the group said in a statement, and Israel said it responded by striking an observation post belonging to the group.
The violence, triggered by the war between Israel and Palestinian fighters, marks the most serious escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
The Israeli army said no injuries were reported in Tuesday's attack by Hezbollah, three of whose fighters were killed on Monday in Israeli shelling into Lebanon.
A salvo of rockets was also fired from Lebanon into Israel on Tuesday, in an attack a security source in Lebanon said was carried out by Palestinian factions. That attack was claimed by Hamas.
The Israeli military said it responded with artillery fire to launches coming from Lebanese territory. It said some 15 rockets were launched from Lebanon, of which four were intercepted and 10 fell in open spaces.
A total of six combatants were killed in Monday's violence, the deadliest day at the frontier since the 2006 war. The clashes began when the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group mounted a cross-border attack into Israel, where Israeli forces killed two of its gunmen. An Israeli officer also died.
