Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held a series of calls on Saturday with the leaders of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan after Iran launched retaliatory attacks on American assets in their territories following earlier US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. According to statements from the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi expressed solidarity with the Arab states affected by the strikes and rejected any violation of their sovereignty or threats to their security.
The calls came after the United States and Israel launched large-scale military strikes on Iran. US President Donald Trump said Washington had begun “major combat operations.” Explosions were reported in Tehran, which described the assault as “aerial Zionist aggression,” despite an ongoing diplomatic track between Iran and the United States.
Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at Israel and targeting US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, according to regional authorities and international media reports.
In separate conversations with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, El-Sisi warned that the attacks risk further destabilizing the region.
He said continued escalation could push the Middle East toward wider chaos and reiterated that political solutions, not military action, are the only viable way to resolve the crisis.For their part, the Arab leaders expressed appreciation for Egypt’s supportive stance and underscored the depth of bilateral ties, according to the presidency statements.
The leaders agreed to maintain coordination and consultation to safeguard Arab national security amid ongoing regional developments, the presidency said.
