Iranian FM to visit Beirut on Friday

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will arrive Friday in Beirut, Iran’s ambassador said.

Abdollahian will hold “important meetings” with top Lebanese officials over the various developments, Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani said in a post on the X platform.

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli border has seen near-daily exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Lebanese border villages, killing 227 people, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also 27 civilians including three journalists. On the Israeli side, 15 people have been killed in the northern border area including nine soldiers and six civilians, according to the Israeli army.