The UK is in what a former ambassador described as a "weird straddle". Ministers are urging Israel to hold back its attacks across Lebanon, just as through the last 12 months they have asked Britain's ally to stop pummelling Gaza. But at the same time, when called upon, helping Israel defend itself on specific occasions.

With Israel poised to attack Iran, having already blindsided friends and foes alike with its blitz against Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, all the talk is of an inexorable slide towards a new, pan-Middle Eastern war.

President Joe Biden told reporters on Oct. 4 he believed all-out war between Israel and Lebanon could be avoided.

President Joe Biden said on Thursday he did not believe there is going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, a region that has been on edge amid Israel's assaults in Gaza and Lebanon and escalation of the U.

By Kanishka Singh, Timour Azhari and Ari Rabinovitch WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said he did not believe there is going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, as Israel weighs options for retaliation after Tehran's largest ever assault on its arch-enemy.

US President Joe Biden expressed confidence that all-out war in the Middle East can be avoided amid Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian missile threats. He emphasized the need for continued efforts to prevent escalation.