Keir Starmer tells Israel and Hezbollah to pull back from the brink of war in Lebanon as Defence Secretary John Healey prepares to chair Cobra meeting on rising Middle East tensions

Keir Starmer urged Israel and Hezbollah to pull back from the brink of war today amid renewed fighting in Lebanon that has left 500 people dead.

In his keynote Labour Party Conference speech the Prime Minister called for de-escalation in the latest conflict in the Middle East, and renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Lebanese authorities said Israeli airstrikes yesterday killed 492 people  - including 50 children - and sent tens of thousands fleeing for safety in the countrys deadliest day in decades.

After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since hostilities flared in October, Israel warned people in Lebanon to evacuate areas where it said the armed movement was storing weapons.

At the same time, Defence Secretary John Healey left the Labour conference in Liverpool early to chair a Cobra crisis meeting in London.   

The Prime Minister told the Labour Party conference: This is a time when great forces demand a decisive government prepared to face the future. We can see that again in the Middle East today.

So I call again for restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel. Again, all parties to pull back from the brink.

I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the hostages, and a recommitment to the two-state solution, a recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.

He added that he will take that message to the UN in tNew York when he leaved later today, alongside our steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

In his keynote Labour Party Conference speech the Prime Minister called for de -escalation in the latest conflict in the Middle East, and renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza .

After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since hostilities flared in October, Israel warned people in Lebanon to evacuate areas where it said the armed movement was storing weapons.

Lebanese authorities said Israeli airstrikes yesterday killed 492 people - including 50 children - and sent tens of thousands fleeing for safety in the countrys deadliest day in decades.

At the same time, Defence Secretary John Healey left the Labour conference in Liverpool early to chair a Cobra crisis meeting in London.

The emergency meeting in London will take place while Mr Healeys colleagues, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, attend the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

The Cabinet minister addressed Labour activists and delegates at the event on Monday, when he vowed to defend the country and keep our citizens safe.

He said: War in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, growing Russian aggression – we know these are serious times.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged rocket fire and air strikes throughout Monday and Tuesday.

Lebanese health minister Firass Abiad told reporters on Tuesday that 1,835 people have been wounded in Israeli air strikes since the start of the week, and Lebanons Health Ministry said the death toll had reached 558 during that period, including 50 children and 94 women.

According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah launched 250 rockets into Israel on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, that Israels war is not with (the people of Lebanon), its with Hezbollah.

In the address to people in Lebanon, Mr Netanyahu added: Please, get out of harms way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.

Mr Healeys Cabinet colleague David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, has made repeated calls for UK nationals to leave Lebanon since late July, when he warned they risked becoming trapped in a warzone.

Mr Lammy has also left Liverpool for New York, where he met foreign ministers from across the G7 in a meeting on Tuesday.

In a reference to conflict in Gaza and southern Israel, Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the G7 meeting, wrote: The G7 members reiterated their condemnation of Hamass horrendous attacks on October 7 2023.

One hundred and one hostages are still in the hands of Hamas.

They noted with deep concern the trend of escalatory violence in the Middle East and its repercussions on regional stability and on the lives of civilians shattered by this conflict, from the Gaza Strip to the Israeli-Lebanese Blue Line.

Actions and counter-reactions risk magnifying this dangerous spiral of violence and dragging the entire Middle East into a broader regional conflict with unimaginable consequences. They called for a stop to the current destructive cycle, while emphasising that no country stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East.

They expressed their deep concern about the situation along the Blue Line.

According to Mr Tajani, the delegates also called on all parties to fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law and expressed their deep alarm for the heavy toll this conflict has taken on civilians, deploring all losses of civilian lives equally and noting with great concern that, after nearly a year of hostilities and regional instability, it is mostly civilians, including women and children, who are paying the highest price.