Special Report: New clash between Israeli, Lebanese troops   Video

The United Nations (UN) Security Council votes on a resolution calling on Israel to halt military operations in the Gaza Strip . The UN Security Councill will hold a special meeting on Lebanon's request that it "adopt a complete and immediate position for a ceasefire," after Israel's deadly air strikes on its territory.(Xinhua Photo)  Photo Gallery>>

    BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A three-member team sent by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to defuse the Middle East crisis arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo late Friday.

    The three men were Annan's special political advisor Vijay Nambiar, the UN envoy to the Middle East Alvaro de Soto and special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen.

    They are expected to meet Egyptian officials and consult with Arab foreign ministers, who will convene an emergency meeting in Cairo on Saturday.

    Annan sought to use the team's visit to urge all parties to do everything possible to contain the situation and to respect international and humanitarian laws for protecting civilians and their infrastructures, Maher Nasser, director of the UN's Information Center in Cairo, was quoted by Egypt's MENA news agency as saying.

    The UN team will also travel to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

    The Arab League Assistant Secretary-General for Palestinian Affairs Mohamed Sobeih said that Arab foreign ministers would "condemn Israeli aggressions" while supporting Lebanon and Palestine in their meeting.

    UN URGES ALL SIDES TO COOPERATE WITH UN TEAM

    The UN Security Council welcomed on Friday Annan's decision to send the team.

    After an emergency meeting to discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East, the 15-member council called on "all concerned states and parties to extend their full cooperation to the team."

    The two-hour long council session was requested by the Lebanese government, with the focus on the escalating violence between Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinians.

    MOUNTING TENSION IN MIDDLE EAST

    Tensions in the Middle East have been dramatically heightened since Israel started a retaliatory military offensive against Lebanon on Wednesday after Lebanese Hezbollah fighters staged an incursion into Israeli territory, killing several soldiers and seizing two more.

    Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday vowed to push a war deep inside Israel in a statement released by the group's al-Manar television.

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