Al-Sisi warns against Lebanon escalation in top US general meeting

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against further regional escalation on Sunday in a meeting with the United States' highest-ranking general, as cross-border hostilities between Israel and Lebanon intensified.

Sisi "warned of the dangers of a new front opening in Lebanon and stressed the necessity of preserving Lebanon's stability and sovereignty," according to a statement from the president's office.

His meeting in Egypt with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles "CQ" Brown, the United States' highest-ranking military officer, came hours after Israel launched massive air strikes on Lebanon, saying it was pre-empting an attack on its territory from Hezbollah. Hezbollah for its part said the attack succeeded and that it was in retaliation for the assassination of its military chief Fouad Shukur, noting that two military bases near Tel Aviv were hit in addition to 11 bases in northern Israel.

Key mediator Egypt has again urged restraint and de-escalation, while the United States -- Israel's top arms provider -- said its military was "postured" to support its ally.

The visit came amid talks in Cairo aimed at a truce in the Gaza Strip that has seemed increasingly unlikely.

Sisi on Sunday called for a "decisive stance from the international community" and a stronger response "to joint Egyptian-American-Qatari efforts" for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange, which would enable a "path to calm and stability in the region," his office said.