CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, ADDS EGYPT’S STATEMENT
By Laith Al-Jnaidi
AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Both Jordan and Egypt on Monday urged international action to stop Israel’s aggression in Lebanon, warning of its consequences for the entire region, according to separate statements.
"We stress the urgent need for the (UN) Security Council to take immediate action to curb Israeli aggression and protect the region from its catastrophic consequences," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in a statement on X.
He said the aggression on Lebanon could not have happened without the lack of international action to stop Israel's aggression on Gaza that started last Oct. 7, nearly a year ago.
He noted that Israel intensified its war on Lebanon during the week the UN General Assembly is convening, "defying it and its resolutions," which he said demanded Israel stop its aggression and abide by international law.
Jordan’s top diplomat also said stopping Israel's aggression is "an international responsibility that the Security Council must bear responsibility (for) immediately."
Separately, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry affirmed its "complete rejection of any violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and its territories" and condemned the Israeli escalation against Lebanon.
In a statement, the ministry urged the UN Security Council to "immediately intervene to stop the Israeli escalation in the region, which threatens the fate of its peoples and prospects for peace."
Lebanese health authorities said at least 492 people, including 42 women and 35 children, were killed and 1,246 others injured in Israeli attacks since Monday morning, with thousands of civilians forced to flee their homes.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.
The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar