Russia urges Israel to pull back troops from Lebanon immediately

Russia urged Israel to "immediately" pull its troops out of southern Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli military began what it said were "ground raids" against Hezbollah militants in the area.

Israel announced the assault after launching a week of intense air strikes on Lebanon that left hundreds dead and killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, military operations the Kremlin also condemned.

"Russia strongly condemns the attack on Lebanon and calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a real search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"We express our solidarity with the leadership and people of friendly Lebanon, which has been subjected to armed aggression," it added.

Moscow, which launched an offensive in Ukraine in 2022, has close ties with Hezbollah-backer Iran and has expressed concerns about a wider war in the region.