(18 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cairo, Egypt – 18 September 2024
1. Various of Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sitting for photos
2. Various of meeting between Abdelatty, Blinken and their delegations
3. Wide of news conference
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s Foreign Minister:
"Regarding what happened yesterday in Lebanon, naturally speaking, any escalation including what happened yesterday certainly hinders reaching a cease-fire deal and the release of hostages and detained captives. Certainly, what happened doesn’t only hinder the current talks but also warns against getting into a full-scale war. As I mentioned, there is a probability that any mistake could happen from this or that side that could lead into slipping into a regional war and this is a very dangerous matter."
6. Cutaway of news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State:
"With regard to Lebanon, the United States did not know about, nor was it involved in these incidents, we are still gathering the information and gathering the facts, broadly speaking we have been very clear, and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we are trying to resolve in Gaza."
8. Cutaway of news conference
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State :
“We have made a tremendous amount of progress over the past month and half, there are, I think, in the agreement 18 paragraphs, 15 of them are agreed, but the remaining issues need to be resolved."
10. Wide of the two ministers leaving after news conference
STORYLINE:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the U.S. "did not know about, nor was it involved in" the wave of exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria, an apparent Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah’s communications network.
Speaking in Egypt alongside the country’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Blinken added: "We’re still gathering the information and gathering the facts."
"It’s imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could, escalate the conflict," he said.
Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously on Tuesday across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, killing at least 12 people, including two children, and wounding around 2,800.
Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.
An American official said Israel briefed the United States on Tuesday after the conclusion of the operation, in which small amounts of explosive secreted in the pagers were detonated.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly.
The Israeli military declined to comment.
On Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks, Blinken said: "We’re focused on getting this cease-fire over the finish line."
That would also, I think, materially improve the prospects of actually defusing the situation in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, particularly, creating an environment in which people have the confidence to return to their homes."
AP video by Mohamed Wagdy
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