Leaders of Jordan and southern Europe meet in a bid to help de-escalate Middle East crisis

The leaders of nine southern European Union countries and Jordan are meeting in Cyprus on Friday to come up with ways to de-escalate the crisis in the Middle East that is threatening to engulf Lebanon and trigger a wider humanitarian crisis.

Jordan's King Abdullah will join the leaders of the so-called MED9 - including Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Portugal and Croatia - as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to brainstorm initiatives aimed at protecting Lebanese civilians caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The leaders will also focus on helping clinch a ceasefire deal between Israeli forces and Hamas in the Gaza strip in line with a UN Security Council resolution adopted unanimously in June.

Cyprus' government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said Thursday the Jordanian monarch's presence at...