Israel said the strikes targeted positions linked to Hezbollah in Beirut, in retaliation for earlier assaults by the Iran-backed group.
Cooper highlighted the humanitarian toll of the conflict, pointing to mass displacement and civilian casualties, and warned that continued violence in Lebanon would jeopardise hopes for a broader peace.
“For the security prospects for the region and for the people of Lebanon and the people of Israel too, we will not achieve a durable peace settlement in the Middle East, if in Lebanon, the crisis endures,” she said.
She added that Iran “cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon”, describing the regime as a continuing source of instability through its proxies.
"We’ve got no illusion about the nature of the Iranian regime, as we saw earlier this year in its brutal repression of its own people and the threats projected through its proxies around the world, including Hezbollah.
“An Iran that is contained is an Iran that can no longer hurt our interests, allies or prosperity or people. So where threats remain, the goal must be to move from conflict to containment with coordinated international action and diplomacy to prevent rearmament supply chains,” she went on.
A fireball rises from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in the area of Abbasiyeh, on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, on April 8, 2026 (Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
Cooper also emphasised the importance of progress on Gaza and the 20-point ceasefire plan, an end to settler violence in the West Bank, and renewed momentum towards a two-state solution. “That is the only way to ensure security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” she said.
“Events in the Middle East weigh heavily on us,” she added.
She later told Sky News: “We’ve seen the humanitarian consequences, the huge mass displacement of people in Lebanon. So we do strongly want to see the ceasefire [with Iran] extended to Lebanon.”
And speaking to Times Radio, Cooper said that if the truce is not applied to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, “that will destabilise the whole region.”
“That escalation that we saw from Israel yesterday was deeply damaging, and we want to see an end to hostilities,” she reiterated.
Cooper also said the UK was firmly against the idea of Iran imposing tolls on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We need the full and unconditional reopening of the Strait as a central part, not just of the current ceasefire, but the long-term future for the region,” she told the audience at Mansion House.
“The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders. And nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway.
“Freedom of navigation means navigation must be free,” she said.
