Egypt urges UN Security Council to halt Israeli escalation in Lebanon, warns of regional instability

Egypt called on the UN Security Council on Sunday to take urgent action to halt Israel's military escalation and ground incursions in Lebanon, warning that the continued assault risks plunging the region into further instability.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's "continued aggression" against Lebanon and its expansion of ground operations in the country's south.

The call came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a recorded speech that Israeli forces had taken control of the strategic Beaufort Castle, known in Arabic as Qalaat al-Shaqif, in southern Lebanon, in the deepest incursion in more than two decades.

Cairo said the expansion of the Israeli ground operations constituted "a complete violation of Lebanese sovereignty" and "a blatant act of aggression that reveals premeditated Israeli intentions to impose a new military reality on the ground."

It reiterated its "categorical rejection of any infringement on Lebanese territory" and renewed its support for Lebanon's unity, state institutions and territorial integrity.

The ministry called for an "immediate and complete Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory," warning that the continued expansion of military operations could trigger a broader deterioration in the security situation.

It urged the UN Security Council and influential international actors to assume their responsibilities and act "urgently and decisively" to stop the Israeli offensive.

"The continued escalation will lead to further chaos and instability in the region," the ministry warned, noting that regional and international parties are currently engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said early Sunday that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot informed his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Raggi that Paris would seek an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the latest Israeli escalation in Lebanon.

Beaufort Castle is one of southern Lebanon's most prominent strategic landmarks. Israeli forces withdrew from the site in 2000 as part of their pullout from the so-called "security zone" they had maintained in southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.