Egypt vows to prevent escalation between Lebanon and Israel
Egypt is doing all it can to prevent further escalation between Lebanon and Israel amid tension between the two sides over the disarmament process of Hezbollah, the Egyptian prime minister said Friday during a visit to the Lebanese capital.
Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been working for months to deescalate the regional tensions and Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly's visit to Beirut comes after similar trips to the small Arab nation by Egypt's foreign minister and intelligence chief.
"Egypt will spare no effort in continuing its tireless endeavors to keep Lebanon away from any escalation," Madbouly told reporters during a joint briefing with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam.
Madbouly's visit also focused on strengthening bilateral ties and addressing pressing regional developments.
Madbouly's meetings in Beirut came as the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago held another meeting Friday.
The Lebanese government has said that the army should have the whole border area south of the Litani River cleared from Hezbollah's armed presence by the end of the year.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon in September 2024 that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.
Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes since then, mainly targeting Hezbollah members, but also killing 127 civilians, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Source: Associated Press
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