STRELNA (near St. Petersburg), July 17 (RIA Novosti) - The situation in Lebanon is not yet out of control but the return of the abducted Israeli soldiers might not necessarily end the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.
"The situation in Lebanon is not out of control, but I am not sure that the soldiers' return will end the conflict," he told a G8 summit news conference.
"We would like the kidnapped people to be returned and the bloodshed stopped," Putin said.
The situation in the Middle East escalated after the Hizbollah Islamist group opened fire on Israeli facilities and took Israeli servicemen hostage. In response, Israel deployed troops to Lebanon and launched devastating air strikes on the country.
