News - Middle East: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has expressed his country’s support for Lebanon in confronting Israeli threats, as fears are growing about a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib on Saturday, Abdelatty also voiced Egypt’s “deep concern over the dangerously increasing pace of escalation” in the region.

Back on July 30, the top Egyptian diplomat said Cairo had established contacts with “relevant parties” in an attempt to contain Israel's current escalation against Lebanon and prevent the region from devolving into a major war.

Abdelatty made the remarks during phone calls with Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Lebanese counterpart at the time.

The top diplomat informed Lebanese officials of Egyptian contacts to avoid dragging the region into a wide-scale war.

Both sides have agreed to continue consultations to coordinate efforts to reduce tension and escalation, the ministry added.

At least 12 people were killed and several others wounded on July 27 in a rocket attack on a football pitch in the town of the Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel was quick to blame Hezbollah, which denied it was responsible. 

In a written statement, the resistance movement said, “The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard.”

Hezbollah officials informed the United Nations that the strike on Majdal Shams was the result of an errant Israeli interceptor missile, according to a US official speaking to Axios news website. 

The regime, however, insisted on blaming Hezbollah for the incident and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah would “pay a heavy price.”

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging deadly fire since early October last year, shortly after the regime launched a genocidal aggression against the Gaza Strip following a surprise operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group.

The Lebanese resistance movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory attacks as long as the Israeli regime continues its Gaza war, which has so far killed at least 39,550 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

Hezbollah officials have repeatedly said they do not want a war with Israel while stressing that they are prepared in case it occurs.

Two Israeli wars waged against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 were met with strong resistance from Hezbollah, resulting in the retreat of the regime in both conflicts.

Source: Press TV