Despite widespread fears that the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant organizations, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, might worsen, Iran insisted on Monday that it was not seeking a regional escalation.
However, a foreign ministry spokeswoman stated that Israel must be “punished” in order to avert future instability, following the assassinations of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Tehran last week.
Iran and its allies blamed the fatalities on Israel.
It comes as relatives of British ambassadors in Lebanon are temporarily withdrawn from the country amid fears of an all-out.
The UK Foreign Office announced that relatives of British embassy staff in Beirut would be relocated owing to a “highly volatile security situation” in Lebanon, which includes rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
Over the weekend, Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged UK citizens to leave Lebanon quickly, warning that the repercussions of a larger conflict in the region “could be catastrophic”.
