The military escalation in the south poses a severe challenge to security and stability not only in Lebanon, but also across the Middle East, especially if the conflict spills over," Hossam Zaki said.

According to The Iran Project, the League of Arab States (LAS) no longer views the Shiite party Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, the Al-Akhbar daily reported citing remarks of LAS Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki at a meeting in Beirut with Mohammad Raad, leader of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary faction.

"The League decided to lift the terrorist tag from Hezbollah, as the party plays a crucial role in present politics and the future of Lebanon," the Egyptian diplomat said, as quoted by the daily.

This was the first meeting between Zaki and Raad since 2016, when at the initiative of Saudi Arabia, the Shiite party was designated as a terrorist organization by the Arab League. Hezbollah was blamed for promoting Iranian influence across the Middle East and for meddling in the domestic affairs of Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and the Arab Gulf nations.

When speaking with reporters in Beirut, the Egyptian diplomat pointed out that his visit is meant to express the regional community’s solidarity with Lebanon and its people on behalf of LAS Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

"The military escalation in the south poses a severe challenge to security and stability not only in Lebanon, but also across the Middle East, especially if the conflict spills over," Zaki said.

The diplomat emphasized the need for all the parties to abide by Resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council "to contain the situation." According to the diplomat, the international community "must insist on ending the war raging in the Gaza Strip, which will stop confrontation in southern Lebanon."

The LAS assistant secretary general urged Lebanese politicians to put national interests above personal ambitions and to elect a new president, whose post has been vacant over the past 19 months, as soon as possible.