Egypt urges Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, bolsters ties with Beirut

CAIRO – 2 November 2025: Egypt has reiterated its calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five locations they currently occupy in southern Lebanon.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly underscored Egypt’s position during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in the New Administrative Capital on Sunday.

Madbouly denounced repeated Israeli aggressions on Lebanon and stressed Egypt’s support to the Lebanese government’s efforts to achieve national stability.

"We closely monitor developments in Lebanon, follow the security situation, and reject any Israeli presence on Lebanese territory," the Egyptian prime minister affirmed.

 

Israel has remained in five points in southern Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, which required a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The ceasefire aimed at putting an end to cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which have continued for around a year, concluding with Israeli ground incursions in the Arab nation.

The hostilities were initiated by the Lebanese group in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, who had suffered continuous bombardment by Israel since October 2023.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued near-daily raids on southern Lebanon, killing dozens of civilians since then, according to UN estimates.

An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least four people and injured three.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to step up the military attacks in southern Lebanon.

On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of escalating its strikes in response to his call for negotiations to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon in line with the ceasefire agreement.

Over the past year, Egypt has repeatedly stressed the need to push for Israel's immediate withdrawal from all Lebanese territories.

"We are fully aware of the challenges Lebanon faces in the south, and we support Lebanon’s sovereignty over all its territories,” Madbouly stated.

 

Bolstering Historic Ties

Moreover, Egypt and Lebanon have reaffirmed their historic ties and expressed commitment to deepening cooperation across multiple sectors, including reconstruction efforts in the wake of the Israeli bombardment.

"Once the situation in southern Lebanon stabilizes, Egyptian companies will be ready to provide support in the field of infrastructure," Madbouly stated during the meeting.

The Egyptian prime minister emphasized that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has issued directives to provide full support to Lebanon including backing reconstruction projects in southern Lebanon.

The two countries also signed 15 agreements to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, food security and safety, electricity and renewable energy, industry, oil and gas, and reconstruction.

 

Madbouly stressed that Egypt supports Lebanon’s efforts to achieve genuine progress across all sectors.

He noted that trade between Egypt and Lebanon reached $1 billion last year, emphasizing that there is great potential to double this figure through the private sector in both countries.

He highlighted that the pharmaceutical sector will be one of the promising areas in this context.

Salam, for his part, invited Madbouly to participate in a major investment conference that Lebanon will host, and urged encouraging the Egyptian private sector to also attend.

Madbouly said he is scheduled to visit Lebanon in December at the head of a high-level delegation of Egyptian ministers.

Lebanon’s prime minister praised Egypt’s leading role in defending Arab causes, noting that Egypt’s consistent support for Lebanon in international forums is deeply appreciated.

He added that the relationship between the two countries is not measured merely by the number of agreements, but by the depth of shared history.

Highlighting Egypt’s cultural heritage, Salam pointed to Cairo as the cradle of history and civilization, noting that the Grand Egyptian Museum, inaugurated on Saturday, stands as an architectural and cultural masterpiece that tells the story of humanity along the Nile since ancient times.