Hariri meets with Egyptian ambassador in Beirut

A day after denying media reports claiming that he slammed Egypt over sending expired medical and food supplies to Lebanese people, Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri met on Monday afternoon with Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Yasser Alwi.

They discussed repercussions of the deadly blast at the Beirut port after it claimed the lives of more than 150 people and injured more than 6,000 others.

“Today it was decided to triple the size of the aid, so that a plane arrives to Beirut every 48 hours. The total volume that I have been notified about so far is 210 tons and it will increase. It includes food supplies, flour and relief materials. Contributions were also sent from the Egyptian Red Crescent and many associations because Lebanon is present in the hearts of all Egyptians who are always ready to provide all support to Lebanon,” the Lebanese National News Agency reported Alwi.

Alwi added that Egypt has launched a sea bridge to ship sent by the Egyptian the Federation of Industries, carrying glass, aluminum and marble, to contribute to the reconstruction of the demolished apartments.

The third Egyptian plane carrying medical assistance arrived in Lebanon on Monday as part of an airlift urgently launched by Egypt to support Lebanon in the wake of Tuesday's Beirut Port massive blast.

The plane, which was received by Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Yasser Alawi, was carrying 14 tons of medicines and wheat to cover the country's local needs after it lost its strategic stockpile following the collapse of silos in the port blast.

The airlift comes upon the directives of the Egyptian political leadership to help Lebanon in the current crisis.

On Sunday, Hariri said that an unauthentic media outlet fabricated news on Hariri’s remarks on the Egyptian aid to Lebanon, saying “These suspicious campaigns aimed at damaging Premier Hariri's Arab and international relations.”

Hariri expressed his gratitude to the Egyptian Leadership for its urgent help and assistance to the Lebanese people. It has been circulated on social media platforms that Hariri refused to receive the Egyptian shipment of aid because it was expired.