Cairo: Egypt, the US, and France engaged in discussions on Thursday to explore avenues for solidifying a US-Iran ceasefire and extending the truce to Lebanon. This development was revealed through separate phone calls made by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

According to Anadolu Agency, a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry indicated that Abdelatty and Witkoff underscored the necessity of ‘swift intervention to de-escalate the situation in the region and solidify the ceasefire.’ Abdelatty emphasized that Israeli assaults against Lebanon could potentially undermine all regional and international efforts aimed at achieving the desired calm in the region.

He reiterated Egypt’s unwavering stance on the necessity of halting all Israeli attacks to ensure regional stability and to prevent the risks of escalating into widespread chaos. During his discussion with Noel Barrot, Abdelatty addressed ‘the rapidly evolving developments in the region, particularly in Lebanon,’ as detailed in the ministry’s statement.

The diplomats highlighted ‘the utmost priority of halting the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and achieving de-escalation during this critical juncture for the Middle East region.’ The US and Iran had announced a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, facilitated by Pakistan, as a preliminary step toward a potential broader agreement to halt a conflict initiated by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on February 28, resulting in significant casualties.

While Islamabad and Tehran affirmed that the ceasefire includes Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv have denied this claim. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 303 individuals and wounded 1,150 others on Wednesday, bringing the overall death toll since March 2 to 1,888 people, with 6,092 others injured.