Mikati meets British PM as Israel tells London war on Lebanon to end soon

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed his Lebanese counterpart to London on Monday and offered condolences for the deaths of citizens killed in Israeli attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that more than 2,700 people had been killed and nearly 12,600 wounded in a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. A quarter of those killed were women and children.

Starmer and Prime Minister Najib Mikati agreed an immediate cease-fire was needed to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, according to a readout of the meeting provided by Starmer’s office.

“On the wider regional conflict, the prime minister outlined the need for all parties to de-escalate and work towards a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East,” a Starmer spokesperson said.

The meeting came after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told British lawmakers that his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, said the military effort in Lebanon would end shortly.

“He sought to reassure me that the operation that is currently under way, the targeted operation by the Israelis, would come to an end shortly, as he put it,” Lammy said.