Egyptian foreign minister on official visit to Beirut

BEIRUT — Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellaty arrived at Beirut international airport on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). He is set to meet Wednesday with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi reportedly spoke by phone with his Lebanese counterpart ahead of his foreign minister's visit, congratulating Aoun "on the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of independence, renewing the Arab Republic of Egypt’s support for Lebanon, as well as the solidarity of the Egyptian people with the Lebanese people in the current circumstances facing the country," according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

Egypt and Lebanon

Egypt completely rejects ‘any violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity’

Beirut’s southern suburbs were the scene of a deadly Israeli strike on Sunday, the first in the densely populated neighborhood since June. It is the latest in a long string of Israeli attacks on Lebanon that have killed around 350 people and are in violation of the November 2024 cease-fire agreement.

According to the Saudi news channel al-Arabiya, Egyptian presidential spokesperson Mohamed al-Shennawi said Sissi reiterated "Egypt’s full support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and the importance of implementing Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as support for the government’s policy to limit arms to the state alone,. These issues were previously raised during Joseph Aoun’s trip to Cairo in May and again during a telephone call earlier this month between Abdelatty and Salam.

Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad visited Beirut last month after traveling the previous week to Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to some observers, Egypt hopes to regain its status as a key player in a rapidly shifting region.