UK Foreign Secretary hopes current ceasefire will be extended to Lebanon

London (ANTARA) - The UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Thursday that her country is “deeply concerned” about Israel’s increasing attacks on Lebanon and hopes that Lebanon will be included in the current ceasefire.

“We have seen the humanitarian impact, including massive mass displacement in Lebanon. So, we very much want to see the ceasefire extended to Lebanon,” she told Sky News in a morning interview.

When asked about her view on the threat to annihilate “the entire civilisation” by US President Donald Trump, Cooper said such threats are “entirely wrong.”

“I think rhetoric that provokes such escalation can lead to consequences that provoke further escalation,” she said.

Acknowledging that the UK and the US remain partners, she said her country can “take different decisions” from the US on various issues, adding, “We cannot hand over our foreign policy to others, but we will always work together with those alliances.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is currently visiting Gulf countries to discuss diplomatic efforts related to the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Although the ceasefire has been in place, there is still much work to be done to reopen the strait, she said in a statement quoted by British media on Wednesday (8/4).