In Syria this evening, Lavrov will meet with President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem to discuss measures to improve the situation in Lebanon, caught up in a crisis over parliament's failure to elect a president since last November, with disputes continuing between the ruling majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
"The situation needs to be influenced positively. All members of the international community that can influence groups in Lebanon should encourage them to reach accords, rather than try to tackle own problems at Lebanon's expense," Lavrov told the satellite channel Russia Today ahead of his tour.
Syria exerts major political clout in Lebanon, although it withdrew its troops in 2005 after 29 years of military presence. Damascus is also believed to back Islamist group Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups active in Lebanon, which was devastated by Israeli air strikes during the conflict with Hezbollah in July 2006.
Visiting Israel and the West Bank on Thursday and Friday, Lavrov will discuss ongoing rocket attacks against the Jewish state by Palestinian militants, and Israeli raids against Palestinians.
"Russia backs the international community's efforts aimed at ending the spiral of violence as soon as possible," Lavrov told the channel.
However, the diplomat said Russia would continue contacts with the radical Palestinian group Hamas - considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the majority of European Union states - aimed at "restoring Palestinian unity" and encouraging the group to pursue peace.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since ousting the moderate pro-presidential forces from the Gaza Strip last summer.
Peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, which were restarted after the U.S.-sponsored summit last fall, have stalled due to violence in recent weeks, in which more than 120 people have been killed.
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli Air Force injured four Palestinian gunmen in Gaza, in the latest airstrike aimed at militants targeting rockets at southern Israel.
