Egyptian, French FMs discuss developments in Lebanon, Gaza
Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot have discussed the situation in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip during a phone conversation.
The Ministers’ discussions are part of the ongoing consultations between Cairo and Paris on the dangerous developments in the region, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Friday in a statement.
The two Ministers also touched on the repercussions of the conflicts on the security and stability of the region, and ways to contain the escalation, it added as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Abdelatty stressed that the Israeli army’s unjustified escalation in Lebanon could have severe consequences, especially following Thursday’s attack on sites and equipment belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, said the statement.
He urged the Israeli army to commit to the safety and security of the UN staff and property, and stressed the need to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, the statement added.
He also appealed for urgent humanitarian relief and aid to Lebanon and Gaza, it said.
Abdelatty appreciated France’s support for Palestinian rights and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state under the two-state solution, it added.
On Friday, two other UN peacekeepers were injured in explosions near a watchtower in the Lebanese border town of Nakura, following a similar incident on Thursday in Nakura that injured two peacekeepers. Both incidents were caused by Israeli fires.
According to the UNIFIL, Israeli soldiers on Wednesday deliberately fired at and disabled surveillance cameras around the site, and it also deliberately fired at UN observation post 1-32A in Ras al-Naqoura where regular tripartite meetings were held before the conflict, damaging lighting, and a relay station.
Since September 23, the Israeli army has been conducting an intensive air attack on Lebanon and has also launched a “limited” ground operation near the Lebanese border in an escalation with Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border since October 8, 2023.