UPDATE - UK calls for immediate cease-fire, implementation of political plan in Lebanon

ADDS MORE REMARKS; REVISES DECK

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – Britain is calling for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and a political plan that would allow both displaced Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes, the UK foreign secretary said Monday, amid multiple reports suggesting that a ground assault by Israel on its northern neighbor is near.

In a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the latest in the Middle East, David Lammy said they were clear on the need for a diplomatic solution in the region.

"The UK is calling for an immediate cease-fire and the implementation of a political plan that allows displaced Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes," Lammy wrote on X.

Speaking to reporters early Monday, he reiterated his call to British nationals in Lebanon to leave the country, saying he has been urging this since coming to office in July.

“Notwithstanding that we sent a rapid response team. 700 troops are in Cyprus. We will do all we can to assist people to get out. We have secured places on commercial flights that are flying tomorrow so that UK nationals can get out," he added.

Lammy stressed that they need to leave now, as the situation on the ground is "fast-moving."

"While we will do everything we can to protect British nationals, and those plans are in place to do so, we cannot anticipate the circumstances of the speed with which we could do that if things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days," he added.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has been launching massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assaults, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.