Keir Starmer has called on Israel and Hezbollah to “step back from the brink” of all-out war as he demanded an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.
The prime minister said it was time to “stop the violence” in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
His comments came just hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his troops to continue fighting “with full force” in Lebanon.
The neighbouring countries have been exchanging almost daily fire since the war between Israel and Hamas – militants backed by the Iranian regime, just like Hezbollah – began in Gaza in October 2023.
The UK has joined international demands for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon to allow for diplomats to negotiate a peace deal.
But so far those calls have fallen on deaf ears as the fighting has continued, leaving hundreds dead.
In his maiden speech to the UNGA, Starmer also repeated his calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages being held there.
He said: “I call on Israel and Hezbollah: stop the violence. Step back from the brink.
“We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement, and we are working with all partners to that end. Because further escalation serves no one.
“It offers nothing but more suffering for innocent people on all sides and the prospect of a wider war that no one can control, and with consequences that none of us can foresee.
“This is intimately linked with the situation in Gaza where, again, we need to see an immediate ceasefire. It shames us all that the suffering in Gaza continues to grow.
“The answer is diplomacy, the release of all the hostages, and the unfettered flow of aid to those in need.
“That is the only way to break this devastating cycle of violence and begin the journey towards a political solution for the long term which delivers the long-promised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”
Elsewhere in his speech, the PM said the UK remained “resolute in our support for Ukraine”, saying they were exercising their right to self-defence following Russia’s invasion in 2022.
He said: “We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
“Because the alternative would be to confirm the worst claims about this place – that international law is merely a paper tiger and that aggressors can do what they will.
“We will never let that happen because it is our duty to respond to a more dangerous world with strength to keep our people safe.”
