Egypt, US, France discuss ways to solidify Washington-Tehran ceasefire, extend it to Lebanon

Egypt, the US and France explored ways on Thursday to solidify a US-Iran ceasefire, and extend the truce to Lebanon.

This came in separate phone calls made by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

A statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Abdelatty and Witkoff emphasized the necessity of “swift intervention to de-escalate the situation in the region and solidify the ceasefire."

Abdelatty stressed that Israeli assaults against Lebanon “undermine all regional and international efforts to achieve the desired calm in the region."

He reiterated “Egypt’s firm position” on the need to halt all Israeli attacks “to ensure stability in the region and avoid the risks of sliding into widespread chaos."

Abdelatty also discussed with Noel Barrot "the rapidly evolving developments in the region, particularly in Lebanon," the statement said.

The two diplomats emphasized "the utmost priority of halting the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and achieving de-escalation during this critical juncture for the Middle East region," the statement said.

The US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, brokered by Pakistan, as a step toward a possible broader agreement to halt a conflict launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on Feb. 28 that has left thousands killed and wounded.

While Islamabad and Tehran said the ceasefire includes Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied that.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 303 people and wounded 1,150 others on Wednesday, taking the overall death toll since March 2 to 1,888 people and 6,092 others injured.

* Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul