Britain’s foreign minister said Thursday the UK “strongly” wants Lebanon included in the Middle East ceasefire as Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the United Arab Emirates.
“We do want to see the ceasefire extended to Lebanon. I’m deeply troubled about the escalating attacks that we saw from Israel in Lebanon yesterday,” Yvette Cooper told Sky News.
“We’ve seen the humanitarian consequences, the huge mass displacement of people in Lebanon. So we do strongly want to see the ceasefire extended to Lebanon.”
Starmer’s Gulf Visit
Cooper’s comments came as Starmer arrived in the UAE on the second leg of a visit to the Gulf to meet with regional leaders seeking to bolster the ceasefire.
The Fragile Truce
The fragile truce between Iran and the United States showed signs of unravelling on Thursday, with Tehran threatening to resume hostilities as Israel pummelled Lebanon.
Washington and Tehran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire, but the deal’s fractures emerged quickly.
The Lebanon Toll
Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on neighbouring Lebanonincluding in densely packed central Beirutsince Hezbollah joined the war in early March.
At least 182 people were killed and nearly 900 wounded on Wednesday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
Hezbollah’s Response
Hezbollah responded on Thursday, saying it had fired rockets towards Israel and accusing it of violating the US-Iran truce.
The US Position
Israel had said its battle against Hezbollah was not part of the ceasefire, an argument echoed by US Vice President JD Vance , days before he is due to lead talks with Tehran in Pakistan.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart… over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice.”
Iran’s Threat
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf appeared to threaten the ceasefire, posting on X that the “workable basis on which to negotiate” had already been violated, making further talks “unreasonable.”
The Bottom Line
The UK wants the ceasefire extended to Lebanon. Israel is bombing Beirut. Hezbollah is firing rockets. Iran is threatening to walk away.
The two-week truce is barely 48 hours old. And it’s already hanging by a thread.
