LONDON: Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned on Wednesday that countries “must not waver” as they work towards ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, as he visited two regional allies.
Lammy, who will hold talks with leaders in Bahrain and Jordan and meet UK armed forces personnel currently stationed in the Middle East, called the situation there “incredibly dangerous”.
He will “press for an end to the cycle of violence” there and voice London’s fears about “the risk of escalation and miscalculation”, according to the Foreign Office.
Britain’s top diplomat will also reiterate his country’s repeated calls for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, and for regional partners to urge restraint from Iran and its proxies, it said.
“I am pleased to be back in the region to meet with our key partners in Bahrain and Jordan,” Lammy said in remarks released by the Foreign Office.
“We must not waver at this critical period to achieve ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, to get more desperately needed aid into Gaza, and secure the release of all hostages.”
Lammy noted the UK and the two Middle Eastern allies he will visit “share deep-rooted partnerships across defence, trade, and security, which I look forward to building upon”.
While in Bahrain, he will tour HMS Lancaster, a Royal Navy frigate, which is deployed there and been active patrolling Red Sea and Gulf waters to counter malign activities by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
British foreign secretary reaffirms Gaza ceasefire call in Israel
He will also meet “senior figures” in the country, while in Jordan he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, according to the Foreign Office.
Lammy toured the region in mid-August, visiting Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories alongside France’s foreign minister.
Tensions have escalated significantly since, as Israel ramps up its ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and following Iran firing missiles at its arch-enemy Israel for the second time in six months on October 1.
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