Egypt’s Sisi Warns of Region Sliding towards ‘Unprecedented’ Conflict

In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
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Egypt’s Sisi Warns of Region Sliding towards ‘Unprecedented’ Conflict

In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's Presidency Media Office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pose for a photo, during the opening of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged on Saturday the international community to take “serious and immediate” action to stop the region from slipping into a “new and unprecedented conflict.”

Sisi received in Cairo President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the EU-Egypt Investment Conference.

The officials underscored the “depth and strength” of Egypt-EU ties that have recently been elevated to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, said an Egyptian presidency spokesman.

They tackled means to confront the rising regional challenges, especially the developments in Gaza and their impact on the region and its stability, he added.

Sisi stressed the need to intensify international efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the coastal enclave.

He reiterated Egypt’s concern over the eruption of a wider conflict in the region, urging the international community to act to stop it from happening.

Sisi and von der Leyen agreed that “reaching a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution and international resolutions will remain the best way to secure sustainable stability in the region,” said the spokesman.



Israel Says It Killed Hezbollah Operative in Eastern Lebanon

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Israel Says It Killed Hezbollah Operative in Eastern Lebanon

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)

Israel's army said on Saturday it killed a key operative in Hezbollah's Aerial Defense Unit in eastern Lebanon, accusing him of carrying out numerous attacks against Israelis.

In a statement, the army identified the Hezbollah member as Meitham Mustafa al-Attar, saying that he had visited Iran several times, "where he gained knowledge and assisted in building up Hezbollah's force and arsenal of Iranian weapons."

Lebanese state media said al-Attar's car was attacked in a drone strike in the town of Shaath, north of Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbek.

Hezbollah confirmed the killing of the 33-year-old but did not specify his role in the movement.

The Iran-backed group and Israel have been trading fire for nearly nine months in hostilities that have played out in parallel to the Gaza conflict, raising fears of an all-out war between the heavily armed adversaries.

Hezbollah has said its campaign of rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel has aimed to support Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.