British politicians described Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon on Tuesday as "self-defence" after the Israeli army announced it would begin a "limited" ground operation into the country, which it had spent the past one week heavily bombarding with hundreds of airstrikes.
Late on Monday, the Israeli military announced it would begin the highly anticipated land invasion into southern Lebanon in an alleged bid to target Hezbollah, despite international calls, including from the British government, for a temporary ceasefire.
Conservative MPs meeting at the annual party conference on Tuesday said that Israel had a right to defend itself against the "terrorist group" Hezbollah and that the UK would do the same if it was being attacked.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell said Hezbollah should lay down its weapons and retreat behind the Litani River, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 which was passed following the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war, and which Israel has not abided to.
"Israel has a right to defend itself again against Hezbollah, which may I remind you is a terrorist organisation, and is lobbying rockets and weapons over the border," Mitchell told The New Arab, referring to the unmarked Lebanon-Israel frontier which has seen nearly a year of cross-border fire.
Thousands of Lebanese and Israelis have fled homes on either side of the border and Israel's prime minister claimed that the latest operation was "necessary" to return Israelis to the north.
The British government, alongside the United States, labels the Shia group and its political party a "terrorist organisation".
When asked whether the government should be concerned about the high civilian death toll in Lebanon, the Tory MP said he was "always concerned" about the death of innocent people but claimed that Hezbollah was "the cause of this".
Mitchell, who served as deputy foreign secretary under David Cameron during the previous Conservative-led government, said the UK would do the same as Israel if it came under attack.
"We would stop the people who were doing that, [and] if necessary, by force and within international humanitarian law - that is what Israel is doing," he said.
The opposition Conservative Party have been holding their annual conference in the city of Birmingham since Sunday, which sees politicians, lobby groups and party members come together for talks and events.
The centre-right party is in the middle of a leadership contest after then Prime Minster Rishi Sunak stood down following the party's crushing defeat to the Labour Party at the July general election.
Leadership hopeful MP Tom Tugendhat told Sky News on Tuesday that he had supported Israel's invasion but was concerned about the civilian population in Lebanon.
"I respect what Israel is trying to do. And I'm just hoping and praying that Lebanese civilians are protected and that they are safe."
The British government is one of Israel’s closest allies and has been a staunch supporter of its 12-month war in Gaza which killed over 41,638 Palestinians - mostly civilians - and decimated towns and cities, prompting one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Former Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan told The New Arab that the ongoing crisis in the Middle East was "of course a tragedy".
"War is not what anyone wants but the UK will always stand firmly alongside Israel as they defend their right to exist as a state and to protect their citizens," the former Minister of State in Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said.
Trevelyan described Israel's army as "one of the best militaries in the world" and claimed that Palestinian group Hamas and Hezbollah have "no interest" in a ceasefire.
Israeli officials, including far-right ministers, have outright rejected recent calls for a Western-backed 21-day ceasefire proposal on Lebanon, as well as a US-proposed ceasefire deal on Gaza as Israel refuses to withdraw its troops from the battered and besieged enclave.
Hezbollah launched missiles into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in response to Israel's invasion of Gaza on 7 October.
The brutality of the Gaza war prompted South Africa in December to bring a case against Israel to the International Court of Justice over concerns that Israel's military is committing genocidal acts against the Palestinian people.
In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are facing possible arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for war crimes related to the conflict. The ICC is also seeking warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Monday again urged British nationals to leave Lebanon, warning that the country has the "potential to deteriorate rapidly".
The Foreign Office has chartered a flight for British citizens on Wednesday following complaints from nationals that the government was asking them to leave while there were no commercial flights available from Beirut airport.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister warned on Tuesday that the country was facing one of its most dangerous phases in history and called for greater support from the UN to help the displaced.
Over 700 Lebanese people have been killed by Israeli strikes with thousands more injured since 23 September, the country’s health ministry reported. Mikati said some one million people may have been displaced in the tiny country as a result of the fighting.