Arab League chief voices concerns over escalation of Israel-Hezbollah conflict

Cairo: Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Monday voiced concerns over the possible expansion of the military confrontations between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

In a statement, he warned that "this conflict could extend its current scope to drag the Middle East into a regional war."

Aboul-Gheit asserted full solidarity with Lebanon and condemned the Israeli threats for the Arab country, adding that "any possible escalation will pose a threat to the whole region's security and stability."

The pan-Arab body called for investigating the Majdal Shams attack in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights that killed 12 people, Xinhua news agency reported.

The AL had repeatedly warned against the negative repercussions of continuing the Israeli war in Gaza and the dangers of expanding it, calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Aboul-Gheit will conduct several international contacts to help contain the situation and avoid an expanding confrontation that will shake regional stability in an undesirable way, the statement added.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas's attack on Israel the previous day. Israel retaliated with heavy artillery fire into southeastern Lebanon.