UPDATE – Egyptian president meets Iran’s top diplomat, calls for regional de-escalation

UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for regional de-escalation on Thursday during a meeting in Cairo with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

A statement by the Egyptian presidency said that the meeting dwelt on current developments in the Middle East region.

Sisi reiterated Egypt’s position to avoid expanding the conflict into an all-out regional war “that will have dangerous consequences" for all countries of the region.

He also called for pursuing international efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon and halt Israeli assaults in the occupied West Bank.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry, for its part, called Araghchi’s talks with the Egyptian president “useful.”

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting underlined the urgent need “for stopping aggressions and atrocities in Gaza and Lebanon and prevention of dangerous escalations that could drag the whole region into an all-out war with dire consequences for all.”

Araghchi arrived in Cairo late Wednesday from Jordan amid diplomatic efforts to prevent any Israeli attack against Iran amid ongoing tensions.

Iran is on high alert in anticipation of an Israeli military response to the Oct. 1 missile attack by Tehran, which said the attack was in retaliation for the recent assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

Israel has threatened a "lethal, precise, and especially surprising" retaliatory attack against Iran.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 42,400 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

The conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, which have killed more than 1,500 people and injured over 4,500 others since last month.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar