Egyptian FM: Events in Lebanon hindering Gaza ceasefire talks

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has said that recent developments in Lebanon are negatively impacting the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip and could potentially lead to a large-scale conflict in the region.

Shoukry made these remarks during a press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Cairo, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media. 

"Any escalation has a detrimental effect on the progress of negotiations, but what happened in Lebanon yesterday not only hinders talks on Gaza but could also provoke a full-scale war in the region. A single misstep by either side could ignite a comprehensive armed conflict across the Middle East," Shoukry warned.

He emphasised the need to "immediately de-escalate and avoid unilateral actions." Regarding the ceasefire talks for Gaza, Shoukry noted that "the main reason for the lack of an agreement so far is the absence of political will from both sides." 

He and his American counterpart both advocate for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and the delivery of adequate humanitarian aid to the region."

 Hundreds of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon blew up nearly simultaneously on September 17 in an unprecedented attack that surpasses a series of covert assassinations and cyber-attacks in the region over recent years in its scope and execution.

The Iran-backed militant group said the wireless devices began to explode in a targeted Israeli attack on Hezbollah operatives. The Lebanese government condemned the attack as “criminal Israeli aggression.” The pagers that exploded were new and had been purchased by Hezbollah in recent months.

By Naila Huseynova