Sisi Meets Burhan, Affirms Egypt’s Keenness on ‘Unity of Sudanese Ranks’

Sisi receives Al-Burhan at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Sisi receives Al-Burhan at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Meets Burhan, Affirms Egypt’s Keenness on ‘Unity of Sudanese Ranks’

Sisi receives Al-Burhan at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Sisi receives Al-Burhan at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stressed his country’s keenness on Sudan’s security and pledged to continue providing full support to achieve political, security and economic stability.
On Thursday, Sisi received Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, at Cairo International Airport. An official reception ceremony was held at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace, east of Cairo, during which the two national anthems were played.
Al-Burhan’s visit to Cairo comes as part of a foreign tour that started in Libya, amid a conflict that has been going on for more than 10 months between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency, Sisi affirmed that Egypt “will continue to play its role in alleviating the humanitarian effects of the conflict,” within the framework of the bilateral “historical and fraternal relations.”
According to the statement, the two officials discussed the “developments in Sudan, and the efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis in a way that ensures stability, preserves the sovereignty, unity and cohesion of the Sudanese state and its institutions, and meets the aspirations of the Sudanese people...”
The official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency quoted Al-Burhan as voicing “his country’s great appreciation for Egyptian support in light of the current circumstances.”
The Sovereignty Council media platforms reported that Burhan presented during the meeting “the government’s vision for ending the war and sustaining peace and stability in the country”.
He also spoke about the violations committed by the RSF against the citizens.
The officials also discussed the latest developments in the region, including the situation in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing “the necessity of a ceasefire and the immediate implementation of humanitarian aid.”
The war broke out in Sudan in April due to disputes over the powers of the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

 

 



Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon and Beirut Outskirts, Killing Five Medics

Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon and Beirut Outskirts, Killing Five Medics

Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Israeli forces pounded southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut on Friday, killing at least five medics, and ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south.

Israel has pushed on with its intense military campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, tempering hopes that efforts by a US envoy will lead to an imminent ceasefire.

US mediator Amos Hochstein said this week in Beirut that a truce was "within our grasp". He travelled on to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz before returning to Washington, the news outlet Axios said.

His trip was aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border, which escalated when Israel ramped up its strikes in late September and sent ground troops into Lebanon on Oct. 1.

Israeli troops have fought Hezbollah in a strip of towns along the border and this week pushed deeper to the edges of Khiyam, a town some six km (four miles) from the border.

Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at Israeli troops east of Khiyam at least four times on Friday. Lebanese security sources told Reuters Israeli troops had also advanced in a string of villages to the west. They said Israel was most likely trying to isolate Khiyam before attacking the town.

Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, a spokesperson for UNIFIL said on Friday.

Italian sources said an investigation was under way. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian media that Hezbollah might be responsible for the attack.

Israeli strikes on two other villages in southern Lebanon killed five medics from a rescue force affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The more than 3,500 people killed by Israeli strikes over the last year include more than 200 medics, the health ministry said.

EVACUATION WARNINGS AND STRIKES

Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from Israel's north because of rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which began firing across the border in support of Hamas at the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israel also mounted more strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a once densely populated stronghold of Hezbollah.

Abeer Darwich, a resident of a building that was hit in Beirut southern suburbs on Friday, had to leave her apartment immediately after an evacuation warning from Israel's military.

She stood watching while an Israeli strike pounded the high rise building into dust.

"Do you know that most of the apartments' owners took credit to buy those houses? Life savings are gone, memories and safety ... which Israel decided to steal from us," Darwich said .

Evacuation orders were issued on X for several buildings in the area on Friday. Reuters footage showed one of the strikes appearing to pierce the center of a multi-storey building, which toppled in a cloud of smoke.