As part of a proactive diplomatic campaign aimed at preventing escalation and avoiding a worsening situation in the region, and in open consultation with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Foreign Minister and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib held a series of meetings. He met consecutively with ambassadors from the following countries: the United States of America (Dorothy Shea), Switzerland (Marion Wechsler), Russia (Alexander Rudakov), Japan (Magooshi Masayuki), China (Qian Minjian), France (Hervé Magro), Argentina (Mauricio Alice), and the United Kingdom (Hamish Call).
During these discussions, Bou Habib emphasized Lebanon's "unwillingness to escalate," warning against "the consequences of unlimited support for Israel on regional security and peace, and its violations of international humanitarian law and laws of war through its collective punishment and blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza."
Bou Habib also discussed regional developments in two phone calls with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the Netherlands' Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins. He consulted with them and exchanged ideas on how to exercise restraint, stop escalation, and ensure Israel's respect for international humanitarian law. The ministers agreed on Lebanon's desire, as well as the desire of their countries, for de-escalation and the need for further efforts to prevent the situation in the region from deteriorating.
