Britain warns of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah
After the heavy rocket attack on the Golan Heights, the British government warns of an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. "We are deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation and destabilization. We have made it clear that Hezbollah must cease its attacks", wrote Foreign Secretary David Lammy on platform X and condemned the attack.
At least twelve young people have been killed in the Golan Heights annexed by Israel in the attack. The Israeli government holds the Iran-aligned Shia militia Hezbollah responsible and is preparing a retaliatory strike.
British cabinet member Pat McFadden spoke of a very serious moment. Since October 7, everyone has been focusing on the situation in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, McFadden told Sky News. The situation in northern Israel between Hezbollah and Israel has the potential to be "much more serious than what we have observed in the last months in Gaza".
In response to a question about whether his Labour government would support Israel in a ground offensive against Hezbollah, McFadden said: "We will always support Israel's right to self-defense. But we hope that cooler and calmer heads will prevail in this situation and we will not see a full-blown conflict between Israel and Hezbollah."
The host-country conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate, threatening to brighten the regional political landscape. Following the British government's warning, there are concerns that a retaliatory strike from Israel could further intensify the situation.
