Saudi Arabia, Egypt call for end to fighting

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud have jointly called for de-escalation and a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon amid escalating violence and increased US military presence in Israel, which have worsened the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.

During a bilateral meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, the two leaders reiterated their appeal to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the affected areas. They said establishing a sovereign State of Palestine, in accordance with international resolutions, is the only path to achieving lasting peace and security in the region, Egyptian news website Ahram Online reported.

They said any attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause would only perpetuate the current conflict and called for respect for Lebanon's sovereignty, security and stability.

Meanwhile, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his government has decided to submit a request to the United Nations Security Council for a cease-fire.

In a statement from his office, Mikati said he had received "a kind of guarantee" from the United States to reduce Israeli escalation in Beirut and its southern suburbs.

However, the Pentagon said on Tuesday US troops had arrived in Israel as part of the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile battery. And Israel continued its airstrikes, pounding Beirut's southern suburbs just hours after Washington expressed its opposition to the scope of attacks on Beirut.

US President Joe Biden's administration has warned that Israel must increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza within the next 30 days or risk losing access to US weapons funding.

The United Nations said current aid restrictions to Gaza are the "worst since Israel's war on the Palestinian territory began in October last year".

UNICEF spokesman James Elder said that for several days, no trucks were allowed into Gaza by Israel, with Palestinians in the north cut off from food, water and medicine during a 12-day siege by the Israeli army.

Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, said the US warning to Israel is "little more than a deflection" as Washington continues to provide more weapons.

Meanwhile, the deployment of US troops has raised questions on its legality and underscored once again Washington's contradictions and inconsistencies in the region, including going against the aspirations of its regional allies, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Abdalfatah Asqool, an international law lecturer at the University of Palestine, told China Daily that people expect actions to stop Israel's "heinous crimes" more than mere calls or appeals from the leaders of influential Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

"When Israel is still committing genocide against civilians in Gaza and starts (attacking) other countries, the US comes with these measures to protect Israel, which simply means the US is involved in these acts of genocide and attacks. And it also gives Israel a green light to proceed in its violations," Asqool said.

Mikati has emphasized efforts to remove any pretexts for Israel to target Beirut's airport, seaports and land crossings. While attempts at a cease-fire are continuing at the UN Security Council, he said no final agreement has been reached yet.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron that he opposes a unilateral cease-fire, which "would not change the security situation in Lebanon", according to a statement published on Tuesday on the prime minister's website.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a phone call that any adventurism by Israel "will face Iran's serious response".

"The responsibility for the consequences of the spread of insecurity in the region lies with the (Israeli) regime and its main supporter, the United States," Araghchi said.

Over the past week, Araghchi has visited Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Oman in an effort to ease tensions. He arrived in Jordan on Wednesday before traveling to Egypt and Turkiye, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on X.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.