Sisi Tells Blinken That Egypt Opposes Escalation, Backs Lebanon Following Blasts 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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Sisi Tells Blinken That Egypt Opposes Escalation, Backs Lebanon Following Blasts 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Cairo rejects any attempts at escalation in the region and supports Lebanon following the pager blasts, the Egyptian presidency said on Wednesday. 

At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday. 

"The President affirmed Egypt's rejection of attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally, pointing out the need for all parties to act responsibly, and reaffirming Egypt's support for Lebanon", the statement added. 

Blinken is visiting Egypt hoping to advance efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and strengthen ties with Cairo. 



Israeli Military Says it Has Intercepted 2 Suspicious Drones 

People wait for a bus near images of those taken hostage or killed during the deadly October 7 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel September 17, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait for a bus near images of those taken hostage or killed during the deadly October 7 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel September 17, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Military Says it Has Intercepted 2 Suspicious Drones 

People wait for a bus near images of those taken hostage or killed during the deadly October 7 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel September 17, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait for a bus near images of those taken hostage or killed during the deadly October 7 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel September 17, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel’s military said they had intercepted two suspicious drones that approached Israel from Lebanon and Iraq on Wednesday morning, the day after pagers used by the group Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding nearly 3,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. 

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said they intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon over the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of northern Israel. Another drone launched from Iraq was intercepted by Israeli air force fighter jets. There were no injuries or damage reported. 

Israel also began moving more troops to the northern border with Lebanon in preparation for a possible retaliation. 

As a precautionary measure, the Israeli military moved its 98th division to the northern border, an official said. The division, which includes infantry, artillery and commando units, has until recently been fighting in Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. 

Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border into Israel on Oct. 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led attack in southern Israel triggered a massive Israeli counteroffensive and the ongoing war in Gaza. Since then, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged strikes near-daily, killing hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displacing tens of thousands on each side of the border.