Cairo, Oct 7 (IANS): Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, on Monday discussed escalating tensions in the Middle East, especially the situations in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

In a phone conversation, the two diplomats stressed the importance of stopping the escalation in the region, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The Egyptian foreign minister expressed "Egypt's deep concern over the increasing escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict."

He warned that such escalations would have dire consequences for both regional and international peace and security, stressing the need to ease tensions and exercise self-restraint to avoid the risk of slipping into a regional war.

Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's full rejection of actions undermining the Lebanese sovereignty, emphasizing the necessity of reaching an immediate ceasefire, and empowering the Lebanese institutions, particularly the army, to ensure stability in this critical political context.

Egypt will continue providing humanitarian and political aid to Lebanon, he added, Xinhua news agency reported.

Confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have sharply escalated after the latter announced a shift in military focus from Gaza to the northern front in mid-September. The sharp escalation has raised concerns about a potential full-scale conflict between Israel and Lebanon.