Middle East Live Blog: ++ UK calls for ceasefire ++

British Foreign Secretary Ramey has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. A report says U.S. officials do not expect Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement any time soon. Live blog developments.

Delta has decided to extend its suspension of direct flights between the US and Israel until the end of the year due to regional tensions. Delta flights between New York’s JFK Airport and Tel Aviv will be suspended until December 31 “due to the ongoing conflict in the region,” the company said.

This means there will be no more direct flights between the US and Israel, Delta confirmed to AFP, initially slated for the end of October.

Parts of the pager that exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday were not made in Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s Economic Affairs Minister Kuo Jyh-huei. The founder and president of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo was released late Thursday night after being questioned by Taiwan’s prosecutors.

Gold Apollo said this week that the equipment used in the attack was manufactured by a Budapest company called BAC, which holds the trademark license.

Senior U.S. officials no longer expect a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Gaza-based militant group Hamas to be reached before President Joe Biden’s term ends in January, the Wall Street Journal reported. The U.S. newspaper cited senior White House, State Department and Defense officials without naming them.

The Palestinians want to push for a UN resolution urging Israel to end its “illegal presence” in Gaza and the West Bank within a year. Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Rijad Mansour told the UN Security Council that “any non-compliance will be met with immediate response.” The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on Wednesday by a vote of 124 to 14, but it is not binding under international law.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon did not mention the resolution in his remarks. Israel is on the front lines in the fight against Iran and Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Shiite militias. The fight threatens “the entire region and the world.”

According to Lebanese authorities, the Hezbollah militia communication devices that exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday were rigged with explosives before entering Lebanon, the Lebanese Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a letter to the UN Security Council.

“Initial investigations suggest that the affected device was a professionally prepared explosive device before entering Lebanon and that the device was detonated by sending an email,” AFP said.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia. “We all very, very much agree that we want a negotiated political solution that allows Israelis to return to their homeland in northern Israel, and Lebanese to return to their homeland,” Lammy said after talks with his French and U.S. counterparts in Paris, the U.S. and Italy.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had previously warned that the situation would escalate. Of course, the “blue line dispute” between Israel and Lebanon “has been going on for too long,” she explained. A diplomatic solution is the best option. “Mr. Biden believes this is possible,” the spokeswoman added.

Israeli Defense Minister Gallant announced that Israel will continue its “series of military actions” against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. France and the United States are calling for a de-escalation. Here’s a live blog you can read.