Egypt Says its Policy is Based on Openness to All Major Countries

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his tour at the Military College (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his tour at the Military College (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt Says its Policy is Based on Openness to All Major Countries

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his tour at the Military College (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his tour at the Military College (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi asserted that Cairo’s policy is based on openness to all major countries and establishing balanced relations with them for development and achieving peace and security.

Sisi toured the Military College headquarters accompanied by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production Lt-Gen Mohamed Zaki, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lt-Gen Osama Askar, and several Armed Forces commanders.

The President engaged in an open dialogue with the cadets on the state’s efforts to promote Egypt's development and achieve stability in the region, regardless of the regional challenges.

Sisi also addressed efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation between Egypt and all the countries of the world, including military cooperation.

The President explained the basic pillars of Egyptian policy: openness to all major countries, establishing balanced and moderate relations with them for construction and development, and achieving peace and security.

The Presidential spokesman stated that Sisi followed up on the skills and physical training programs for the cadets at the Military College, in line with the President’s keenness to maintain direct communication.

The President directed the cadets to maintain their fitness along with high physical and mental readiness and exhibit the noble military values that have long characterized the institution of the Egyptian Armed Forces; values centered on discipline, commitment, and the desire to receive education and knowledge to become a model for the youth.

Sisi saluted the brave men of the Egyptian Armed Forces for their sacrifices and sincere efforts to safeguard the security and stability of the homeland, and the capabilities of the great Egyptian people.



Hezbollah: Any Truce Must Swiftly End Fighting, Preserve Lebanese Sovereignty

A Lebanese army inspection team checks destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted one of their positions in the southern Lebanese coastal town of Sarafand on November 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
A Lebanese army inspection team checks destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted one of their positions in the southern Lebanese coastal town of Sarafand on November 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Hezbollah: Any Truce Must Swiftly End Fighting, Preserve Lebanese Sovereignty

A Lebanese army inspection team checks destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted one of their positions in the southern Lebanese coastal town of Sarafand on November 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
A Lebanese army inspection team checks destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted one of their positions in the southern Lebanese coastal town of Sarafand on November 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

A Hezbollah official said on Wednesday that any US-brokered ceasefire deal between the group and Israel must end fighting swiftly and must preserve Lebanon's sovereignty, an apparent reference to Israel's stance that it will keep striking the Iran-backed group even with a truce in place.

Speaking to Hezbollah media, Mahmoud Qmati said that he was neither overly optimistic nor overly pessimistic about the prospects of a truce.

The US proposal could see Israeli ground forces leave Lebanon and Hezbollah militants withdraw away from the Israeli border. More Lebanese army troops and UN peacekeepers would be sent to a buffer zone in southern Lebanon as part of the deal.

But CNN has reported that an Israeli source familiar with the talks cast doubt on the likelihood of an imminent deal, noting that Hezbollah’s refusal to accept Israel’s demand for the right to strike the group in the event of a ceasefire violation could jeopardize the process. Without this clause, the source said, it was uncertain whether Israel’s prime minister could get cabinet approval for the agreement.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 in what it said was solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes, and all-out war erupted in September.

Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded almost 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. It also displaced nearly 1.2 million, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population. On the Israeli side, 87 soldiers and 50 civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles, and tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from homes near the border.

Hezbollah said its chief Sheikh Naim Qassem would give a speech Wednesday, a day after cancelling a similar announcement.

A statement from the group announced the speech by Qassem would be "today," without specifying a time.