 Foreign minister Li Zhaoxing urged all parties concerned to keep restraint to avoid further deterioration of the situation, expressing his close attention to and deep concern over the conflict.After a Chinese U.N. observer was killed when a U.N. observation post in Lebanon was hit during an Israeli airstrike, China called for an Israeli apology and demanded that Israel stop bombing U.N. positions.China asked the U.N. Security Council to strongly condemn the Israeli bombing and the permanent representative of China in U.N. implied that U.S. resistance in allowing such condemnation would affect China's position in the nuclear program of Iran

The Security Bureau reminds Hong Kong residents in Lebanon and Israel to keep abreast of latest developments and pay attention to personal safety.