Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against further regional escalation on Sunday in a meeting with the United States’ highest-ranking general, as cross-border hostilities between Israel and Lebanon intensified.
Sisi “warned of the dangers of a new front opening in Lebanon and stressed the necessity of preserving Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty”, according to a statement from the president’s office.
His meeting in Egypt with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles “CQ” Brown, the United States’s highest-ranking military officer, came hours after Israel launched air strikes on Lebanon.
Israel said it was pre-empting an attack on its territory from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, fuelling fears of a wider regional conflagration.
Key mediator Egypt has again urged restraint and de-escalation, while the United States — Israel’s top arms provider — said its military was “postured” to support its ally.
The visit comes amid planned talks in Cairo, to be attended by CIA chief William Burns, aimed at a truce in the Gaza Strip that has seemed increasingly unlikely.
Sisi on Sunday called for a “decisive stance from the international community” and a stronger response “to joint Egyptian-American-Qatari efforts” for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange, which would enable a “path to calm and stability in the region,” his office said.
An official from Netanyahu’s office said a decision would be made late in the day about whether Israeli spy chiefs would attend the talks in Cairo on Sunday.
Hamas has said a delegation would go to Cairo but only to meet with Egyptian officials rather than participate in the discussions.