Urgent calls grew on Sunday for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon, which would be on the front line of a regional war, as Iran and its allies readied their response to high-profile killings blamed on Israel.
While diplomats worked to avert a feared conflagration, France's Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II said a regional military escalation must be avoided "at all costs," the French presidency said after they held a phone call.
With major military action from Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and others widely expected, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: "If they dare to attack us, they will pay a heavy price."