Egypt, Eritrea Agree to Face Threats in African Horn, Red Sea

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi meets with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi meets with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Eritrea Agree to Face Threats in African Horn, Red Sea

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi meets with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi meets with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and Eritrea on Thursday expressed keenness to continue coordination and consultations at various levels to face threats in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea and support regional security and stability.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi met with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in Cairo, in the presence of Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service Major General Abbas Kamel.
During the meeting, Sisi received a letter from his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki, in which he looked forward to enhancing consultation and coordination on issues of common interest, a presidential statement said.
Sisi confirmed Egypt’s keenness to advance efforts to deepen the distinguished relations and cooperation between the two countries, so as to benefit the two peoples and achieve their common interests, in light of the mounting regional challenges that call for intensifying discussions on ways to address them.
The meeting touched on the regional situation, particularly issues and threats in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, the statement said.
Both countries confirmed keenness to continue joint coordination and consultation at various levels, so as to support security and stability in the region.
The meeting comes amid escalated tensions in the Horn of Africa after Somaliland agreed in January to grant 20 kilometers of its coastline for 50 years to Addis Ababa, through a “lease” agreement.
Egypt and Somalia rejected the deal, which prompted Arab foreign ministers to convene urgently on January 17 via a virtual conference.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but the move was not recognized internationally.
The Mogadishu government said it would address this agreement by all legal means, and described it as “a blatant violation of its sovereignty.”
Egypt aims at boosting cooperation with the countries of the Horn of Africa. Last month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty embarked on a tour operated by EgyptAir to Djibouti and Mogadishu, marking the first direct flights between Egypt and these two African nations.

 



Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
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Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday Israel’s attempts to drag Lebanon once again into the endless “spiral of violence”, following Israeli claims that it had intercepted three missiles launched from south Lebanon.
A statement released by the Lebanese Presidency said that Aoun called for "avoiding any repercussions and ensuring control over any violations that could endanger the nation during these sensitive times."
Aoun has directed the Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haikal, to “take all necessary field measures to ensure the safety of citizens and conduct investigations regarding the incident”, added the statement.
Also in a statement, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to war.
He reaffirmed that “only the state holds the authority to decide on matters of war and peace."
The Prime Minister also contacted Janine Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative in Lebanon, during which he urged the United Nations to "intensify international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories”.
He emphasized that Israel’s “occupation violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements established by the previous government in November, to which Lebanon remains committed".

On Saturday, Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, a clash endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before escalating into a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.