A diplomatic marathon is underway with European leaders and officials keeping open lines of communication with all parties involved in a bid to avert a war between Israel and Hezbollah following the attack that killed 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. .

Countries included of France, Germany, Italy and Britain have reached out in recent days to their counterparts in Lebanon, Israel and Iran, trying to persuade all parties involved to exercise restraint.

The stakes are particularly high for Paris and Rome, which have hundreds of troops stationed in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern region of the country where Israel and Hezbollah they have exchanged fire frequently in the past month.

On Tuesday, the Italian prime minister Georgia Meloni urged the Israeli government not to fall into the “trap” of retaliation, adding that it was “very, very concerned” about the situation in Lebanon. Speaking from China, he said Beijing could use its “solid ties” with Iran and Saudi Arabia to help defuse the situation.

The risk of regional conflict increased significantly after a rocket attack killed 12 children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday. Israel, the US and Germany attributed the strike to the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah, but the Shiite militant group denied responsibility for the deadly attack.

After visiting Majdal Shams on Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “the state of Israel will not and cannot ignore this. Our answer will come and it will be serious.”

On Monday, the United States sought to allay concerns about an “all-out war” in the region. The Lebanese media outlet L’Orient Le Jour reported that for Washington, Israeli strikes on Beirut or the capital’s airport, located in an area controlled by Hezbollah, are red lines.

However, on Tuesday morning Britain urged its citizens to leave Lebanon “due to risks associated with the ongoing conflict”, after other European countries, including Germany, issued similar warnings earlier this week. Airlines such as Lufthansa, Greek airline Aegean Airlines, Air France and Transavia canceled flights to Beirut.

“Open lines” with Iran, Lebanon, Israel

Behind the scenes, European leaders and officials have been on the phone with their regional counterparts – although it remains unclear how much influence they actually have on Israel, Hezbollah and Iran.

The British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, spoke with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, earlier this week, yet it is widely known that the Lebanese government has no control over Hezbollah.

Lammy told Britain’s House of Commons that he called Mikati “to express his concern about this latest incident”.

“We have been on the brink for months now, the risk of further escalation and regional destabilization is now more acute than ever … we are calling for a de-escalation of the current crisis,” Lamy said.

The French president Emmanuel Macronwho had already spoken with Netanyahu on Sunday, called his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeskian on Monday night appealing to Tehran to help de-escalate the region.

The French president “insisted that … Iran had a role to play in this by ending its support for destabilizing factors and calling on them to exercise restraint,” according to the Elysee Palace, which stressed among other things that France is in contact with “all parts”.

However, the Iranian reading of the same call said that “any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel.”
Italy is particularly concerned about its troops in southern Lebanon and has conveyed this message to its counterparts in the region.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked his Israeli and Lebanese counterparts, Israel Katz and Abdullah Bou Habib, to ensure the protection of UNIFIL forces.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crocetto reiterated Rome’s request for a UN resolution to establish “a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River attended only by UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces.”

German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock and top EU diplomat Josep Borrell also spoke separately to Abdullah Bou Habib. Borel – a critic of Israel’s war on Gaza – discussed with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abdul Gheit about “the need to clarify the causes, to find ways to de-escalate and avoid a regional war and to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza now.” “

A Lebanese official told The Associated Press that Hezbollah does not want an all-out war against Israel, but is ready to fight if a conflict breaks out. The Iran-backed group has begun moving smart precision missiles and preparing them for use if needed, the official said.