The escalation between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah could trigger a full-blown regional war, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has warned ahead of the annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations headquarters.
Tensions between the Jewish state and Hezbollah have spiked after thousands of electronic devices exploded across Lebanon last week, in a covert attack widely believed to have been orchestrated by Israel. While Hezbollah and Israel had routinely exchanged fire since the onset of the conflict in Gaza, last week marked far heavier airstrikes between the two.
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“There is great concern about… the possibility of an escalation in the region leading to an all-out regional war,” Abdelatty told AFP in an interview published on Friday. The recent sharp rise in hostilities has “negatively impacted” Gaza ceasefire negotiations, he added.
Egypt, Qatar, and the US have “complete determination” to continue their efforts towards brokering a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Hamas and Israel, the top diplomat said.