ANKARA

British Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer expressed concern Sunday over Israel’s stated intention to expand its ground operations in Lebanon.

“Deeply concerned by Israel's announcement stating intention to expand its ground operations in Lebanon, where over 1m people have already been forcibly displaced,” Falconer said on the US social media company X’s platform.

The statement urged restraint, adding: “Israel must avoid further exacerbation of the conflict and refrain from any action to seize Lebanese territory.”

The Israeli army has pounded Lebanon with airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by the Hezbollah group on March 2.

The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched an air offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

In a previous post, Falconer also addressed restrictions on religious access, emphasizing: “The right to worship is a fundamental freedom.”

He said Israeli police “should not have blocked the Latin Patriarch from the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday.”

The statement called for cooperation with religious communities, adding: “Israel must work with religious communities to facilitate worship in line with the status quo.”

Calls had circulated in Jerusalem urging worshippers to pray as close as possible to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, due to its continued closure. Palestinians have instead been praying in smaller mosques across the city.

Last Wednesday, the Israeli government extended a state of emergency until mid-April, though it remains unclear whether the mosque will remain closed until then.

Israel closed Al-Aqsa after the start of its war with Iran on Feb. 28, citing security concerns, while Iran has launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and what it describes as US interests in the region.

Authorities also prevented Eid al-Fitr prayers from being performed at the site this year for the first time since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967.

Despite condemnation from Arab and Muslim countries, Israeli authorities have refused to reopen the mosque. Worshippers in East Jerusalem said the closure is unjustified and politically motivated.