Beirut - A high-level Arab League delegation arrived Wednesday in Beirut to start a mediation mission to pull Lebanon back from the brink of a new civil war. The Qatari plane arrived at Beirut International Airport, airport officials said.
The delegation will seek to defuse tension between the US-backed governing coalition and Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which have been engaged in the worst clashes since the 1975-90 civil war.
An initial unconfirmed casualty toll said at least 81 people have been killed in the six days of fighting across Lebanon.
"The Arab League mission opens a window for a solution," a senior Lebanese governmental source said.
