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Egypt, South Sudan Discuss GERD Crisis

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sidi during his meeting with the security advisor to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir. (Egyptian presidency)
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sidi during his meeting with the security advisor to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir. (Egyptian presidency)
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Egypt, South Sudan Discuss GERD Crisis

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sidi during his meeting with the security advisor to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir. (Egyptian presidency)
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sidi during his meeting with the security advisor to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir. (Egyptian presidency)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks with South Sudan’s presidential advisor on security affairs Tut Gatluak in Cairo on Thursday.

Presidential spokesman, Bassam Rady, said Gatluak handed Sisi a letter from his South Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir, that reviewed the latest political developments and bilateral ties, as well as the current stance on the peace process in South Sudan.

The meeting was attended by Abbas Kamel, Egypt’s head of General Intelligence, Deng Alor Kuol, South Sudan’s Minister of East African Affairs, Gabriel Changson Chang, South Sudan’s Minister of Higher Education, and Stephen Kowal, South Sudan’s Minister of Peacebuilding.

Talks have touched on various issues of common interest, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis.

The conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia has been ongoing for 11 years due to Addis Ababa’s intransigence to build the mega-dam without reaching a legally binding agreement with the two downstream countries on the rules of filling and operating the dam.

In July, Cairo protested to the United Nations Security Council against Addis Ababa’s plans to unilaterally fill the GERD’s reservoir for a third year without reaching an agreement with Cairo and Khartoum.

During the meeting, Sisi affirmed Egypt’s keenness to maintain security and stability in South Sudan, as a “decisive factor and a fundamental pillar that ensures the achievement and sustainability of success and opens up prospects for cooperation to achieve development.”

The Egyptian President said that Cairo is determined to bolster bilateral cooperation and transfer its experience in drawing up an integrated development strategy for South Sudan, especially in urban planning, infrastructure, roads, and transportation sectors.

He added that his country is willing to develop the existing bilateral cooperation in the fields of training human cadres, education, agriculture, irrigation, water stations, and others.

Gatluak, for his part, said his country looks forward to benefiting from Egypt’s expertise in the field of construction to meet the ambitions of the South Sudanese people for a better future.

He also praised the continuous development in the course of relations between the two brotherly countries in various fields.

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Missile Exchanges between Iran, Israel Turn Lebanese Skies into Aerial Frontline

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)
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Missile Exchanges between Iran, Israel Turn Lebanese Skies into Aerial Frontline

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)

Lebanese skies have turned into a daily theater of missiles streaking across between Iran and Israel, with the country’s geography making it a frontline in their aerial confrontation.

Missiles launched towards Israeli cities like Haifa and Tel Aviv must begin their descent trajectory over Lebanon, forcing Israeli air defense systems to intercept the threats near Lebanon’s southern and eastern borders.

Since Friday night, Lebanese people have witnessed a variety of projectiles, ranging from Iranian missiles and drones to Israeli air defense rockets, intersecting mid-air near Lebanon’s airspace.

Some fly in droves over Lebanese territory, others collide in the sky, while others veer off course, leaving fiery trails visible above the country.

Israeli interception launches come from multiple locations: the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Golan Heights to the east, and central and northern Israel south of Lebanon.

Military and strategic affairs researcher Mustafa Asaad said Iranian forces have employed about 13 different types of missiles and projectiles in their attacks since last Friday.

In response, Israel is deploying five separate air defense systems operating at various altitudes.

Asaad explained that each missile type follows distinct flight paths and heights. Some travel at fixed altitudes, others maneuver to evade interception, and some even breach the atmosphere altogether.

This complex choreography aims to allow a few missiles, typically two or three, to bypass Israel’s air defenses and reach their targets.

Asaad added that Lebanese observers tend to see the missiles more clearly because they witness the final descent phase, when projectiles begin their downward trajectory toward targets.

While drones are rarely visible to the naked eye except when intercepted, Lebanese people in the south and to a lesser extent in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and Mount Lebanon frequently observe Iranian projectiles in flight.

Asaad explained this visibility occurs because these projectiles are often in their final stages, descending toward impact. “What we see are mostly medium-range missiles flying at altitudes low enough to be visible at night,” he said.

In contrast, missiles flying at higher altitudes become visible only during their final drop or when intercepted by Israeli air defenses, producing distinct explosions resembling stars or meteors. Missiles in these higher atmospheric layers are typically targeted by Israel’s missile defense systems.

In recent days, residents in southern Lebanon have witnessed several Iranian missiles descending in “convoy-like” formations toward Israel.

Some estimates suggest these projectiles’ warheads may split into two, four, or six parts when hit by Israeli interceptors, usually targeting the missile’s main body, creating the illusion of multiple missiles traveling together.

However, Asaad cast doubt on this theory, saying, “There is no evidence that Iran possesses such technology.”

He explained that the missiles observed in images are single-warhead ballistic missiles launched from a single platform, flying closely in a group along the same trajectory.

Asaad noted that Tehran’s missile arsenal does not yet match the sophistication of Russia’s recent systems, some of which were used in a major strike on Ukraine two weeks ago and featured advanced defenses like decoy flares designed to confuse air defenses.