Combined images of (From L to R) Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
The Egyptian president said Cairo supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability and is working diplomatically to shield the country from the wider escalation, according to the Egyptian presidency.
El-Sisi also backed efforts by the Lebanese state to extend the authority of its institutions across the country.
Aoun, for his part, thanked Egypt for its continued support and briefed Sisi on measures taken by the Lebanese government to strengthen state authority, restrict weapons use to the state, and address humanitarian challenges caused by the fighting.
El-Sisi said Egypt stands ready to provide relief assistance to help deal with displacement resulting from the military operations.
The call came as Israel intensified attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs in a new phase of fighting with Hezbollah.
Lebanon was drawn deeper into the conflict last week after the Iran-backed group launched attacks on Israel following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during US-Israeli strikes.
The Lebanese government has since moved to ban Hezbollah’s military and security activities and ordered the group to hand over its weapons to the state.
Israel, which had continued strikes targeting Hezbollah despite a November 2024 ceasefire based on the United Nations (UN) Resolution 1701, carried out new attacks across Lebanon last week and deployed ground troops to border areas.
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