Egypt calls for exercise of utmost restraint, communicates all parties to contain Iranian-Israeli escalation

CAIRO – 13 April 2024: Egypt has expressed its deep concern about the Iranian-Israeli military escalation and demanded both sides to exercise the utmost restraint, announced the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Egypt viewed the dangerous escalation unfolding in the Iranian-Israeli arena as a direct consequence of the warnings it has repeatedly issued regarding the perils of expanding conflict in the region, the statement added.

Cairo also confirmed that it maintains constant communication with all relevant parties to contain the situation, halt the escalation, and prevent the region from descending into a perilous spiral of instability that threatens the interests of its people.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian air forces are on high alert after Iran launched a series of drones against Israel on Saturday evening, a high-ranking Egyptian security source stated to Al Qahera news.

He added that Egypt is in contact with all parties to prevent the escalation.

The source added that a crisis cell comprising all relevant agencies and institutions closely monitors developments in the regional situation, providing around-the-clock reports to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Iran announced that it has launched "extensive retaliatory drone strikes" against Israel, while Middle Eastern countries including Iraq and Jordan closed their aerospace and suspended air aviation.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that it launched drones against Tel Aviv in response to the Israeli attack against the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria’s Damascus on April 1.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that Iran launched drones against Tel Aviv and they would take hours to hit Israel.

While Iran announced that it closed their airspace until further notice, Israel also closed Ben Gurion Airport for 3 hours overnight and closed its aerospace.

The Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority (CARC) announced Saturday that Jordanian airspace would be temporarily closed to all incoming, departing, and transiting aircraft starting at 20:00 UTC.

The decision was made in response to escalating regional tensions and following a thorough assessment of risks in accordance with internationally recognized civil aviation safety standards.

Furthermore, Jordan declared a state of emergency following the Iranian attack on Israel.

Meanwhile, Iraqi aerospace closed and air aviation stopped, stated the Iraqi Nes Agency (INA).