Leaders of Western powers set to discuss Mideast, Ukraine

ATHENS

The leaders of the US, UK, Germany and France are set to discuss the Mideast and Ukraine, UK media said Tuesday.

The leaders of the four nations will discuss "concerning developments" in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, according to Sky News, citing a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The meeting was organized to coincide with US President Joe Biden’s visit to Germany, it noted, adding it will be the first time the group has met at a leader level.

Sky News said the meeting is meant to “emphasise to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot hope to play for time and wait for Western support for Ukraine to cease,” citing German government sources.

Developments in the Middle East will also be discussed as the conflict between Israel, Lebanon, Iran and the Gaza Strip continues to escalate and expand.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23 that have killed more than 1,250 victims, injuring 3,618 others and displacing more than 1.2 million.

The aerial campaign was an escalation in a year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 42,000 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

At least 2,083 people have since been killed and 9,869 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East was is the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground invasion on Oct. 1 into southern Lebanon.