UK must step up pressure on Israel, Lebanese envoy says after recent ‘blatant, terrorist electronic attack'

• 'The conflict in Lebanon will not be confined to the boundaries of Lebanon, and it could trigger a region-wide conflict,' warns Lebanon's ambassador to the UK

• 'What we tell them is that it's not only about Lebanon, it's about the rule-based international order. You either respect it, or you would lose your credibility as Western countries in general,' says Mortada

LIVERPOOL, UK

Lebanon's ambassador to the UK urged the British government and its allies to take a "firm position" against Israel's ongoing military actions in Lebanon, calling the situation a serious threat to regional security.

"We are trying to push them to take a firm position and to pressure Israel to stop this blatant aggression against Lebanon," Rami Mortada told Anadolu on the sidelines of a conference of the Labour party in Liverpool.

Speaking of the toll of the latest attacks, he noted that 350 people had perished in Israeli attacks on his country on Monday alone, with Lebanon suffering "full-scale carpet bombing throughout the country."

According to Mortada, Lebanon had been exploring diplomatic solutions with the US and other international partners, but these efforts were met with increased violence.

"There is a diplomatic way out of this that we were discussing, mainly with the US and some of its allies, including the UK," he said.

However, instead of a peaceful resolution, Lebanon has received "bombing, and this blatant criminal terrorist electronic attack," which left over 40 dead and more than 3,000 injured.

The ambassador emphasized that the conflict extends beyond Lebanon's borders, warning of broader regional consequences.

"Regional security is at stake. The conflict in Lebanon will not be confined to the boundaries of Lebanon, and it could trigger a region-wide conflict, and that's what we’re trying to avoid," he stated.

He also stressed the need for accountability over breaches of international law, calling on Western nations to uphold global norms.

"What we tell them is that it's not only about Lebanon, it's about the rule-based international order. You either respect it, or you would lose your credibility as Western countries in general," he said, pointing out that the UN has labeled Israel's electronic warfare as a "war crime."

Israel has launched a barrage of airstrikes into southern and eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese health authorities saying that nearly 560 people have been killed, including 95 women and 50 children, while 1,835 others have been injured in the attacks since Monday morning, which have also forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, the majority of whom are women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Israeli forces intensified their attacks on Lebanon, ignoring the international community's warnings that they would risk spreading the Gaza conflict to other regions.