September 18, 2024 09:11 GMT
Egypt Pres Warns Against Escalation As IDF Moves Elite Division North
MIDEAST
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a meeting in Cairo that 'Egypt rejects any attempts to escalate the situation in the region', and that 'all parties should act responsibly'. Says that Egypt 'supports Lebanon' following the mass pager blaststhat hit Hezbollah figures on 17 Sep. Blinken is in Cairo ostensibly to discuss the (diminishing) prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza, but events have taken over with the risk of a major escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in the wake of the pager explosions.
- Israel's Ynet reporting that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have moved the elite 98th Division north from Gaza to the Northern Command "in preparation for the possibility of an expansion of the war against Hezbollah".
- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is set to deliver an address in the wake of the attacks on Thursday 19 Sep at 1700 local time (1000ET, 1500BST).
- Reuters: "Blinken will head from Cairo to Paris on Thursday for a meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Britain to discuss the Middle East and Ukraine and other issues, a State Department official said. Blinken will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron, the official said. Blinken will not visit Israel on this trip, "
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