Egypt urges Hezbollah to exercise restraint amid hostage-truce talks – report

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has called on Hezbollah to exercise restraint in its attacks on Israel as efforts continue to negotiate a hostage release-ceasefire deal in Gaza, the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

During a visit to Beirut on Friday, Cairo’s top diplomat held meetings with Lebanese officials and conveyed a message to Hezbollah’s leaders, aiming to prevent a regional escalation as the terror group mulls how to respond to the assassination of its military commander, Fuad Shukr, at the end of July.

In exchange for Hezbollah’s restraint, Abdelatty reportedly promised an increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza, which would “ease the pressure” on Hamas, along with unspecified “facilitations” from the United States on other issues related to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lebanese officials are said to have responded positively to the Egyptian demands, on the condition that the ongoing ceasefire talks in Gaza lead to a favorable outcome.