Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Wednesday that an unconditional cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel is "the first priority," calling for intensifying international and Arab efforts to prevent dragging the region into a large-scale war.

New Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ruled out a ceasefire deal with Lebanon's pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia, contradicting media reports that a pause in fighting could be imminent after more than a year.