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Egypt Seeks International Support in GERD Talks

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). File photo
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). File photo
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Egypt Seeks International Support in GERD Talks

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). File photo
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). File photo

Egypt addressed the UN Security Council and the General Assembly on Tuesday, seeking international support on the dispute over the mega-dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile.

Cairo appealed for a UN role that would contribute to resolving the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis through a binding legal agreement.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the dispute during a telephone conversation.

The FM stressed his country’s keenness to reach a legally binding agreement over the operation and filling of the dam.

He warned against Addis Ababa’s unilateral second filling of the dam next July before reaching a binding agreement, noting that it would affect “regional security and stability”.

Shoukry further pointed to the importance of the role played by the UN and its agencies to push for resuming negotiations and reaching the desired agreement, in addition to backing the African Union in its mission.

According to a foreign ministry statement, Shoukry sent letters to Guterres and the presidents of the Security Council and General Assembly, requesting that they circulate them as an official document.

The letters include various stages of negotiations on the dam and the latest developments, the statement noted.

Ethiopia began constructing the 1.8-kilometer-long GERD in 2011 as a key to its economic development and power generation.

Egypt fears the dam will imperil its supplies of Nile water, while Sudan is concerned about the dam’s safety and water flows through its own dams and water stations.

Both countries continue to stress the need to reach a binding and comprehensive agreement that guarantees the rights and interests of the three countries.

Addis Ababa finished in July 2020 the first phase of filling the reservoir, in preparation for its operation, and announced going ahead with the second filling in the next rainy season.

The latest round of talks between the three countries in Kinshasa ended earlier this month with no progress made.

Sudan and Egypt were aligned on a proposal to include the European Union, United States and United Nations in the negotiations, as an addition to current African Union mediators.

Both countries said Ethiopia rejected the proposal during the meeting, as well as other suggestions to re-start negotiations.

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Israel Strikes Hezbollah's 'Radwan Force' Deep Inside Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP
Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP
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Israel Strikes Hezbollah's 'Radwan Force' Deep Inside Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP
Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP

Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes on eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, targeting Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in what Israeli officials described as an effort to disrupt the group’s attempts to rebuild its military capabilities.

The strikes, which followed more than 48 hours of relative calm along the Lebanese-Israeli border, marked a sharp escalation as US-brokered negotiations continue between Washington and Beirut over proposals to curb Hezbollah’s armed presence.

Military analysts said the Israeli escalation appeared aimed at sending a forceful message as US envoy Tom Barrack pushes Lebanese authorities to accept a timeline for the group's disarmament under a potential ceasefire framework.

Israeli warplanes struck targets in both the eastern and western mountain ranges of the Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Two initial raids hit areas west of Baalbek- Shmistar and Wadi Umm Ali - followed by more strikes southeast of the city.

NNA reported that 12 people were killed in the bombardment, while Reuters confirmed that five of the dead were Hezbollah members. Local media said Syrian nationals were among those killed in strikes near Hermel.

Footage shared online showed plumes of smoke rising from bombed-out sites across the Bekaa. Shrapnel shattered windows at a public high school in Shmistar where students were sitting for state exams, and a revered religious shrine - Maqam al-Nabi Ismail in Brital - was reportedly damaged. Two civilians were wounded.

In its first official response, Hezbollah condemned the airstrikes as a “major escalation” in Israel’s months-long military campaign against Lebanon. The Iran-backed group urged the Lebanese state to “break its futile silence” and called for immediate international intervention, particularly from the United States, to uphold existing ceasefire guarantees.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the strikes were intended as a “clear message” to Hezbollah, accusing the group of attempting to restore its operational capabilities along the border.

In a statement posted on X, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air raids targeted Hezbollah’s Radwan force in the Bekaa, including training camps and weapons depots.

He added that militants had been conducting live-fire exercises and tactical drills at the sites, which he called a “flagrant violation” of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

According to Adraee, the Radwan unit - tasked in the past with a plan to seize territory in northern Israel - has been attempting to regroup since several of its senior commanders were killed in Israeli strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon in September 2024.

In contrast to the Bekaa, the situation along southern Lebanon remained relatively stable on Tuesday, though NNA reported that Israeli troops fired machine guns toward the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and shot at the newly established Blat Hill position overlooking the village of Rmaich.

Retired Lebanese Brig. Gen. Hassan Jouni said the Bekaa raids were part of a “calibrated pressure campaign” tied to the ongoing negotiations.

“The timing of these airstrikes is clearly linked to the back-and-forth between Lebanon and Washington. Israel wants to remind everyone of the current balance of power and signal that military pressure will continue until Hezbollah gives up its weapons,” Jouni told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

He said Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its capabilities had been publicly acknowledged by the group’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, placing the Lebanese government in a difficult position between appeasing US demands and avoiding internal strife.

Another retired officer, Brigadier General George Nader, warned that Israel’s message was clear: failure to cooperate with US proposals could lead to intensified strikes.

“While some speculate about a ground invasion, I find it unlikely,” Nader told Asharq al-Awsat. “Why would Israel risk soldiers’ lives when it can strike targets from the air with precision drones and jets?”

He cautioned that unless Lebanese officials take a decisive stance, the country could face a more aggressive Israeli air campaign in the coming weeks.