CAIRO: Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday stressed the importance of supporting Lebanon and “sparing it the scourge of war,” amid escalating tensions between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
The Egyptian foreign ministry in a statement urged the international community to safeguard Lebanon from the ravages of war and to avoid opening a new front in the ongoing regional crisis.
The call for support comes as the situation in the region intensifies following a deadly rocket strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which killed 12 people. The attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams is the deadliest incident in Israeli or Israeli-annexed territory since the onset of the Gaza war on October 7. This escalation has raised concerns about a potential spillover of the conflict into Lebanon.
Egypt, which has been actively involved in mediating the Gaza conflict, cautioned against the dangers of a broader escalation involving Lebanon. The foreign ministry stressed the importance of diplomatic efforts to stabilize the situation and prevent further escalation.
READ ALSO: Putin Warns to Restart Production of Nuclear Weapons if US Deploys Missiles in Europe
Meanwhile, Israeli forces conducted overnight airstrikes targeting southern Lebanon, an area with significant Hezbollah presence. These attacks marked a continuation of the recent exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah fighters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned from a visit to the United States, convened a meeting of the security cabinet to discuss further actions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, commenting on the situation, stated that there was substantial evidence indicating that Hezbollah was responsible for the rocket attack. Blinken reaffirmed Washington’s support for Israel’s right to defend itself but also expressed concern over the potential for escalating the conflict. The US has called for de-escalation and for efforts to be focused on preventing further violence in the region.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the incident, claiming it had “no connection” to the strike.
READ ALSO: Khan Yunis Fighting Displaces 180,000 People in Four Days: UN
