A sailor was killed in a missile attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for more time to be given to political and diplomatic tracks to avoid renewed military confrontations and reduce escalation in the region. This came during a phone call, Thursday, between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati.

According to a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the call “comes to continue the existing coordination between the two brotherly countries regarding successive developments in the region.” Ambassador Nader Zaki, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the two ministers “discussed during the call the joint efforts made to restore calm and prevent escalation in the region in coordination with regional and international partners, including the United States of America and the sister State of Qatar.”

The two ministers stressed the need to “promote wisdom and the language of dialogue, allow more time for diplomacy and political paths, and encourage the various parties concerned to negotiate and show the necessary flexibility to spare the region the repercussions and risks of renewed military confrontations, the negative repercussions of which the region is still suffering,” according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.

The two ministers agreed to continue coordination and consultation and to intensify movements and communications during the current period with the various parties concerned, to try to reach a consensus on prevailing in the negotiation process and to pledge not to take any escalatory steps to prevent the deterioration of the security situation or the increase in tensions in the region.

Last Tuesday, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt affirmed their support for diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching comprehensive solutions that enhance security and stability in the region, stressing the importance of continuing coordination and joint consultation. The common position came in telephone conversations between Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, and his Qatari counterparts, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman, and the Egyptian Dr. Badr Abdel Ati. The research discussed regional developments and diplomatic efforts made to reduce escalation, contain tensions, and limit the expansion of conflicts in the region.

On the same day, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a call to the United States and Iran to be “flexible” at this stage, stressing the importance of understanding and dialogue “before it is too late,” and warning that the alternative would bring “catastrophic” results to the region. During a press conference in Cairo with his Slovenian counterpart Natasa Peretz Musar, Sisi warned against compromising the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reiterating his country’s “categorical rejection of any threat that might affect the security and stability of the Kingdom and other Gulf states.”

The Israeli army is moving to expand the use of “robots” and unmanned means in its ground operations in southern Lebanon, in parallel with testimonies from residents about small drones entering their homes and some of them exploding in their surroundings. While military reviews believe that these technologies give Israeli forces greater ability to reconnaissance and advance and reduce human casualties, concerns arise about their impact on the population and the ability of autonomous systems to distinguish between military targets and civilians.

During a tour of the tent area on Wednesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir viewed a model of the “Robotic Combat Team” presented by the 769th Brigade and the 869th Information Gathering Battalion, according to an Israeli army statement. Zamir said, “Robotic and technological means work in front of and alongside the forces to enhance their effectiveness and protection,” and ordered the acceleration of the integration of these capabilities into combat units.

In a Lebanese analysis of what the Israeli occupation is doing in southern Lebanon, retired Brigadier General Dr. Khalil Al-Helu said, “The Israeli army’s expansion of the use of unmanned systems and robotic technologies in its ground operations in southern Lebanon reflects a development in the nature of the military means adopted, whether at the level of reconnaissance and surveillance or carrying out field operations.” He pointed out that “the Israeli announcement of these capabilities is not limited to the military and technical dimension, but also carries psychological and moral messages directed to (Hezbollah) and the Lebanese state, as well as to the Israeli interior.”

Al-Helou explained, “Talking about robotic warfare means moving to using systems and technologies that have the ability to operate and make decisions autonomously, whether they are aerial drones or ground platforms and mechanisms that operate using robotic technologies.” He added, “These systems receive information and data from their surroundings, analyze them, and then make decisions related to their movement and the way to carry out their tasks very quickly, without the need for direct intervention from human operators at every stage of their work,” pointing out that “this development raises the level of operational effectiveness and reduces the impact of human fatigue and exhaustion on military performance.”

On Thursday, residents of Mifidoun, Nabatieh district, reported stories about small marches entering their homes. A girl from the Milli family spoke about a drone that exploded after it approached her and her brother, while a family member narrated that another drone entered his house and flew between the rooms and windows. In this context, retired Brigadier General Saeed Qazah said, “The announcement by Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to integrate unmanned systems into ground operations in southern Lebanon confirms the great technological superiority that Israel enjoys, alongside the United States, and reflects the accelerating shift towards the use of robots, drones, and artificial intelligence in military operations.” “With the aim of reducing risks to soldiers and reducing human losses,” he warned in return that “relying on pre-programmed combat systems poses serious risks to the lives of civilians, and raises problems related to human rights and international humanitarian law.”