Oct 17 (Reuters) - European stocks opened lower on Tuesday, weighed down by a drop in Ericsson shares following downbeat quarterly results and weakness in the mining sector as investors monitored risks from an escalation in the Middle East conflict.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1% by 0705 GMT, with miners among the top decliners, down 0.6% as copper prices slipped.

Shares of Ericsson dropped 7.3% after the Swedish network equipment provider flagged that ongoing uncertainty impacting its mobile networks business will persist into 2024, after reporting a fall in third-quarter revenue.

The broader telecoms index fell 0.5%.

Shares of Lonza dropped 11.5% after the contract drugmaker cut its 2024 margin target again following the abrupt departure of its CEO last month.

Rolls-Royce climbed 1.5% after the British engineering company decided to axe up to 2,500 roles in the latest turnaround plan.

UK's FTSE 100 was trading flat after data showed Britain's regular pay growth slowed from a previous record high. (Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)