Two Egyptian military aircraft loaded with medical supplies and foodstuff were dispatched to Lebanon as part of the air bridge Egypt has extended to Lebanon in the wake of the massive warehouse explosion at Beirut Port.

The humanitarian aid isin line with the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the country's military spokesman said in a statement on Monday.

A massive blast at Beirut Port on 4 August damaged buildings across the capital and sent a giant mushroom cloud into the sky, killing at least 171 people, injuring around 6,000, and leaving as many as 300,000 homeless.

The trip is the sixth aid shipment to arrive in the Arab country from Cairo.

Lebanese officials said the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate, 2,750 tons of which had been stored in a warehouse at the port for six years after being confiscated from a ship.

Egypt has taken several steps to provide assistance to Lebanon, including launching an airlift to offer humanitarian aid and relief supplies and a sealift to help in the reconstruction of the blast-hit country.

The first batch of Egyptian humanitarian aid was delivered to Lebanon on 5 August, one day after the bombing, with a planeload of medical supplies.

An Egyptian field hospital in Beirut is also providing aid to victims of the blast.

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