China urges US to stop creating turmoil in Middle East

A Chinese ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday that the United States bears an irrefutable responsibility for the tensions in the Red Sea and urged the U.S. to reflect on its actions and stop creating more turmoil in the Middle East.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East and the Red Sea, Charge d'Affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the UN Sun Lei said that resolving the Red Sea issue requires respecting international law and the legitimate rights of all countries, including respecting Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and promoting an overall de-escalation of the regional situation.

Sun said the clear conclusion after looking back over how the situation in Yemen and the Red Sea has unfolded over the past two years is that the United States should bear an unshirkable responsibility for the worsening tensions in the Red Sea.

"The urgent priority is for the United States to stop creating new conflicts and turmoil in the Middle East. It was the United States that obstructed the Security Council's efforts to secure a ceasefire and end the fighting, allowing the conflict in Gaza to spill over and causing the situation in the Red Sea to continue escalating. Without authorization from the Security Council, and while negotiations between Iran and the United States were still underway, the United States launched military strikes against Iran, once again pushing the region toward a dangerous abyss," he said.

"The U.S. should seriously reflect on its actions, take steps to eliminate the negative consequences of its erroneous words and deeds, and make constructive efforts to safeguard lasting stability in the Red Sea and the Middle East," Sun said.

China urges US to stop creating turmoil in Middle East

Representatives of Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday began a new round of talks in Rome aimed at advancing the implementation of a ceasefire arrangement and addressing border security issues, according to local media.

The two-day closed-door talks are being held at the U.S. Embassy in Rome and involve diplomatic delegations from the two sides rather than military representatives.

According to media reports, the meeting marks the first round of talks since Israel and Lebanon reached a U.S.-brokered framework agreement in Washington in late June, aimed at paving the way for a final peace accord. At the center of the discussions is the implementation of the so-called "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, which are currently under Israeli military control. Under the framework agreement, Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from the areas, which will then be transferred to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Israel has made Hezbollah's disarmament a condition for completing the withdrawal, while Hezbollah insists that Israel must first fully withdraw from Lebanese territory.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Tuesday that Israel is ready to move forward with the implementation in these two "pilot zones," expressing hope that the discussions in Rome will advance the process.

However, media reports indicate that despite agreeing to the withdrawal plans in last month's accord, Israel has continuously delayed concrete implementation on the ground.

Against this backdrop, Lebanese President Michel Aoun has instructed his delegation to press Israel for an immediate pullout from the two "pilot zones," hoping the Rome talks will yield "tangible and concrete" progress in enforcing the agreement.

Israel, Lebanon hold new round of talks in Rome