Egypt Warns of Possible Regional War As Tensions Rise

Abdelatty warned ahead of the United Nations annual meeting of world leaders that rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a full-scale regional war.

Tensions have surged following explosions across Lebanon last week, believed to be the result of a covert Israeli operation targeting thousands of electronic devices. While cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel has occurred since the start of the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, the recent exchanges have involved far heavier airstrikes.

"There is great concern about the possibility of an escalation in the region leading to an all-out regional war," Abdelatty said in an interview with AFP published on Friday. He noted that the intensification of hostilities has negatively affected ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

The Egyptian diplomat criticized the "provocative" Israeli policies for escalating violence with Hezbollah, which has declared support for the Palestinians. Egypt is engaged in discussions with international allies to halt the escalation and prevent Israel from continuing "unilateral and provocative policies," Abdelatty said. He stressed that a wider regional conflict would be detrimental to all parties involved.

Israel recently claimed responsibility for an airstrike that killed two top Hezbollah commanders and several other officers. Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of two of its senior officials.

The genocidal Israeli war on Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ attack on October 7, which was in retaliation for years of Israeli apartheid aggression against Palestinian people. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military campaign.