Almost half of Israelis would support a unilateral strike to prevent Iran obtaining the atomic bomb, an opinion poll carried out after Tuesday's nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers found.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents in the poll published by the Maariv newspaper on Friday said they thought the agreement would accelerate Iran's development of a nuclear weapon, not prevent it as claimed by the powers.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is hoping that the deal struck between Iran and major powers would help resolve Lebanon's presidential stalemate, Bkirki sources said Friday.

The sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper that al-Rahi “has always told visiting officials that Lebanon is not an isolated island.”

More than 100 former U.S. ambassadors including the ranking diplomat taken hostage in Tehran in 1979 came out Thursday in support of President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

In a joint open letter, former hostage Bruce Laingen and a host of ex-envoys praised the "landmark agreement."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will head to the Gulf in August seeking to allay fears over the Iran nuclear deal, as Saudi Arabia Thursday warned Tehran against any further "mischief" in the region.

Back at work only days after an 18-day negotiating marathon to seal the unprecedented accord, Kerry met Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, the beginning of a charm offensive designed to win over the many doubters in the United States and abroad.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed an interest in reopening his country's embassy in Tehran during a telephone conversation between the two leaders Thursday.

"In phone call just now, #British PM @David_Cameron welcomed #IranDeal & Iran's constructive role in the negotiations," Rouhani said on Twitter, referring to the talks that led to a historic agreement Tuesday on Iran's nuclear program.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir warned Iran Thursday to use the economic benefits of a new nuclear deal to help its people and not fund "adventures in the region."

"If Iran should try to cause mischief in the region we're committed to confront it resolutely," Jubeir said after meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, days after the landmark deal was struck granting Tehran sanctions relief in return for dismantling and mothballing most of its nuclear program.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Thursday sought to reassure Israel over a nuclear deal between major powers and Iran, saying "robust measures" were in place to ensure its success.

Israel has long opposed any deal with its arch-foe Iran, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted the landmark agreement struck Tuesday between Tehran and six world powers as a "historic mistake."

Speaker Nabih Berri has expressed regret that Lebanese officials failed to resolve the presidential crisis without the mediation of countries that have influence on Lebanon.

“We the Lebanese are useless,” Berri told al-Mustaqbal daily in remarks published on Thursday.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday said that Iran had a role to play in ending the bloody civil war in Syria.

Saying there would be no military solution to a conflict that has drawn in a host of regional actors, Obama said Iran was one important player.

The United States Wednesday presented a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council asking it to endorse a historic deal curtailing Iran's nuclear program, diplomats said.

The draft text seeks formal U.N. approval for the hard-won, ground-breaking agreement reached in Vienna on Tuesday after 18 days of talks.