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French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will visit Beirut this week in an attempt by French President Emmanuel Macron to “prevent escalation in the region and continue to monitor the situation closely,” Annahar newspaper reported on Monday.
Macron had called King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday to disucss with him the explosive situations in the region.
Full StoryU.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could start as early as Monday, three sources briefed on the call told U.S. news portal Axios.
“Blinken convened the conference call to coordinate with close U.S. allies and try to generate last-minute diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah to minimize their retaliation as much as possible. He stressed that limiting the impact of their strikes is the best chance to prevent all-out war,” Axios said.
Full StoryIsrael's army said it had not changed "as of now" its policy for protecting civilians, as Iran and Hezbollah are expected to avenge killings blamed on Israel of two senior members.
"I would like to refer tonight to the various reports and rumors that we are on alert for the enemy's response to the territory of the State of Israel," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Sunday in an online briefing to journalists.
Full StoryTravelers waited in long lines at Beirut airport on Sunday, some after cutting summer holidays short, as airlines have cancelled flights and fears have grown of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
"I'm not happy to leave. I wanted to spend the whole summer in Lebanon then go back to work" in France, said Joelle Sfeir from the crowded departures hall at Beirut airport.
Full StoryUrgent calls grew for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon, which would be on the front line of a regional war, as Iran and its allies readied their response to high-profile killings blamed on Israel.
While diplomats worked to avert a feared conflagration, France's Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II said Sunday a regional military escalation must be avoided "at all costs", the French presidency said after they held a telephone call.
Full StoryHezbollah said it launched a drone attack early Monday on northern Israel that the Israeli military said wounded two Israeli troops and set off a fire.
The violence came as fears of an all-out regional war mount following the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran.
Full StoryAn Israeli drone strike near a cemetery in the southern village of Mays al-Jabal killed two people, a Hezbollah fighter and a paramedic.
The National News Agency said one of the dead was a member of the Islamic Risala Scout Association paramedic group. The group identified the member killed as Mohammed Fawzi Hamadi. Hezbollah later announced the death of one of its fighters, Ali Shuqair from Mays al-Jabal, "on the road to Jerusalem."
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The UK government has urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately, amid fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah and a broader regional conflict.
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The U S. embassy in Lebanon has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon on "any ticket available," amid fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah and a broader regional conflict.
Full StoryHezbollah said overnight it had launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at northern Israel.
The Iran-backed group said its latest attack, on Beit Hillel in northern Israel, was in response to Israel's attacks on Kfarkela and Deir Siriane in south Lebanon which, it said, had injured civilians there.
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