Egypt's President Warns of Escalating Tensions in the Region During Meeting with Senior U.S. Army Commander

Hours after Israel's 'preemptive strike' on Hezbollah positions on Sunday morning, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned Charles Brown, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, about the potential for further escalation in the region. According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, he emphasized the need to protect the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon while warning of the dangers of opening a new front there. In the meeting, Sisi called for a 'decisive stance from the international community' and a stronger response to the 'joint efforts of Egypt, the U.S., and Qatar' aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of hostages, which he claimed would pave the way for 'calm and stability in the region.' The meeting between Sisi and Brown took place shortly after Israel's preemptive strike against Hezbollah and the firing of 230 projectiles by this Iranian proxy group towards northern Israel. Negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages are set to take place in Cairo in the coming days, with William Burns, the CIA Director, among the participants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the 'preemptive' attack, stating, 'This is not the end of the story.' He clarified that Hezbollah intended to attack Israel with rockets and drones, and he ordered the Israeli army to carry out a strong and preemptive strike to eliminate this threat. According to him, 'The Israeli army destroyed thousands of short-range rockets that all aimed to harm our citizens and forces in Galilee.' Netanyahu added, 'In addition, the Israeli army destroyed all the drones that Hezbollah had launched towards strategic targets in the center of the country.' He reminded of the deadly attack on Foad Shaker weeks prior, stating that Israel would deliver 'surprising and crushing blows' to Hezbollah. The Prime Minister warned Iranian and Hezbollah leaders that 'Nasrallah in Beirut and Khamenei in Tehran must know that this is another step towards changing the situation in the north [of Israel] and safely returning our citizens to their homes.' Earlier, Netanyahu had said, 'This morning we identified Hezbollah's preparations for an attack on Israel. In consultation with the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, I ordered the army to act actively to eliminate this threat.' He further stated, 'Since then, the Israeli army has been active in neutralizing threats. Thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country have been destroyed, and many other threats have also been neutralized with force - both in defense and in attack.' The Prime Minister affirmed, 'We are determined to do whatever it takes to protect our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes, and continue to follow a simple rule: whoever harms us, we will harm them.' In this context, Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli army, stated on Sunday that the army neutralized Hezbollah's attempt to fire hundreds of rockets towards the north and several drones towards the center of Israel. He said in a statement, 'Before dawn, we identified Hezbollah's preparations for an attack against the north and center [of Israel]. About 100 Israeli Air Force fighters carried out preemptive strikes to eliminate the threats.' Hagari added that the army attacked 'hundreds of rocket launchers ready for thousands of launches,' most of which were aimed at northern Israel. He noted that 'we also attacked the drones that were targeting the center of Israel.' He pointed out that the attacks on Sunday morning eliminated a significant threat and 'possibly a future threat in some areas,' emphasizing the rockets aimed by Hezbollah towards northern Israel. The Israeli army spokesman clarified that most of Hezbollah's planned attacks were neutralized, and most projectiles fired towards Israel were intercepted and destroyed. Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council stated that President Joe Biden is 'carefully monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.' Sean South said, 'Biden has been in contact with his national security team throughout the night. At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts.' According to South, the U.S. will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself and will continue efforts for regional stability. Hours earlier, Hezbollah announced that it had fired over 320 rockets towards its targeted bases and points in Israel. Israeli media also reported that the army had targeted and destroyed launchers that were set to fire towards Israel at 5 AM on Sunday. According to reports, these preemptive attacks began shortly before 5 AM against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed in its statement that it targeted 11 military bases in northern Israel, and one of the videos released on social media shows a Hezbollah drone hitting a highway in northern Israel. This rocket fire occurred as Hezbollah had previously announced that it was responding to the killing of Foad Shaker, its senior commander, in last month's Israeli army attack. Follow the latest developments regarding the escalation of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah on the Voice of America blog. Also see: The U.S. supported Israel's approach in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.