The Egyptian government expressed its deep concern on Wednesday regarding the ongoing developments in Lebanon, emphasizing Egypt’s full solidarity with the Lebanese government and people during this critical time, and its efforts to maintain Lebanon’s stability, unity, and sovereignty. During a discussion on regional developments, particularly the situation in Lebanon, the Egyptian Cabinet condemned “the dangerous Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon,” and firmly rejected any attempts to establish a new status quo that infringes on Lebanese sovereignty.
The council demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, stating that this is essential to de-escalate tensions and achieve calm.
The Egyptian Cabinet also warned of the complete danger that unilateral escalatory steps by Israel could lead the region into more severe developments, potentially resulting in a comprehensive regional war that could destabilize the entire area and negatively impact regional security—a concern Egypt has repeatedly voiced.
The Egyptian government concluded its statement by emphasizing that “the escalation of events yesterday signals a dangerous turning point, necessitating international and influential community intervention to immediately stop the hostilities, save lives, and protect the security and assets of the region.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Tuesday evening that it had launched a missile attack against Israel in response to the assassination of the Hamas Political Bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, and the Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the Quds Force commander in Lebanon, Abbas Nilforoushan.
In response, the Israeli military stated it had not detected new threats after countering a major missile attack from Iran towards Israel. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said during a press conference after the attack wave ended, “We have conducted assessments and informed our partners in the United States. We see no further threats, and we have asked citizens to exit the shelters.”
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Hertzi Halevi, after assessing the situation following the Iranian attack, said, “We have demonstrated our ability to prevent the enemy from achieving any success through a combination of exemplary citizen behavior and a very strong air defense system. We will choose when to exact retribution and demonstrate our precise and surprising offensive capabilities, according to the directives of the political leadership.”
Hamas announced on July 31st that its Political Bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an Israeli airstrike at his residence in Tehran, following his attendance at the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Bazshkian.
The Israeli military announced a ground operation in Lebanon on Tuesday morning, stating that it would be “limited” in nature. Since last week, the Israeli Air Force has carried out intense airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in various areas of Lebanon. Hezbollah has retaliated with rocket attacks primarily targeting northern Israel, but the scope of the rocket attacks has significantly increased in recent days. Every day, dozens of rocket salvos are fired towards populated Israeli areas, resulting in damage to residential buildings and injuries.
The Israeli military announced the killing of the Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, in a raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut last Friday, which was later confirmed in a statement by the group.
