British foreign minister David Lammy is set to travel to Israel in an attempt to prevent an all-out war in the Middle East, Sky News reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Reuters/Chalinee Thirasupa
British foreign minister David Lammy is set to travel to Israel in an attempt to prevent an all-out war in the Middle East, Sky News reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.
The British foreign ministry did not confirm any travel plans for Lammy, but provided a statement from him saying the UK was urging partners in the Middle East to "choose peace".
"We are at a crucial moment for global stability. The coming hours and days could define the future of the Middle East," Lammy said, reiterating his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"The UK will continue to use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire," he added.
A new round of Gaza ceasefire talks was underway in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday afternoon, in an effort to end 10 months of fighting in the Palestinian enclave and bring 115 Israeli and foreign hostages home.
The talks came as Iran appeared on the point of retaliating against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar
Israeli security services said on Thursday they had arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot targeting prominent people including the prime minister.
Deadly Israeli attacks that blew up Hezbollah radios and pagers crossed all red lines, the leader of the heavily armed Lebanese movement said on Thursday, in a speech broadcast as sonic booms from Israeli warplanes shook buildings in Beirut.
Iranian and European officials will meet at the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week in a test of whether the two sides can find a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme, while lowering tensions with Israel and the West.
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