Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty headed to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Sunday at the start of a tour of several Gulf Arab states aimed at coordinating positions, consulting with regional partners, and discussing the rapidly unfolding developments in the region amid the war on Iran. During FM Abdelatty’s tour, which comes under the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, he is scheduled to hold high-level meetings in Doha to discuss the military escalation in the region, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The tour comes as the ongoing war in the Middle East, now in its third week, continues to escalate, with the United States and Israel intensifying their attacks on Iran, while Tehran continues its retaliatory campaign against Israel and US military targets across the Gulf region. The visit reflects Egypt’s firm and supportive position toward Qatar and all Arab states, reaffirming its full solidarity, as leadership, government, and people, with Arab nations in confronting security challenges, according to the statement. It also aims to strengthen joint efforts to de-escalate tensions and prioritize diplomatic solutions to preserve regional peace and security, the foreign ministry added.
Additionally , Abdelatty, called for an immediate halt to hostilities in the Middle East during separate phone calls on Sunday with his counterparts in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, warning that the escalating conflict risks drawing the wider region into war. According to Egypt’s foreign ministry, Abdelatty urged the international community to increase pressure for de-escalation and a halt to the fighting, stressing that diplomacy and dialogue remain the only path to containing the crisis. The calls come as the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its third week, with several Gulf countries reporting missile and drone attacks linked to the escalating conflict.
During the calls, Abdelatty reiterated Cairo’s condemnation of attacks targeting Gulf and other Arab states, saying such actions violate international law and threaten regional stability. Abdelatty stressed the need for closer Arab coordination in addressing the crisis and called for developing a clear framework for regional security arrangements once the war ends.
He said discussions should include mechanisms to strengthen joint Arab action and proposals for a joint Arab force to safeguard regional security and protect the capabilities of Arab states from future threats. He also expressed Egypt’s support for precautionary measures taken by Kuwait and Bahrain, including the closure of their airspace, to protect their territories and citizens amid rising security risks.
Kuwaiti foreign minister, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Bahraini foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, welcomed Egypt’s support for Gulf security and praised Cairo’s efforts to maintain coordination among Arab states as tensions escalate, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry. Al Zayani also commended Egypt’s ongoing efforts to preserve Arab peace and security at this critical stage. Earlier on Sunday, authorities in Kuwait reported drone attacks targeting infrastructure near Kuwait International Airport, where a drone strike damaged part of the airport’s radar system but caused no casualties. The Kuwaiti military said its air defences had engaged hostile missiles and drones and urged residents to follow safety instructions issued by authorities. Officials said at least seven drones were detected within a 24-hour period, with three shot down, two reconnaissance drones falling outside the threat zone, and two targeting Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base.
Data compiled by Kuwaiti authorities indicates the country has faced hundreds of missile and drone attacks since the war began. Government figures say air defences intercepted at least 237 ballistic missiles and 445 drones in earlier waves of attacks, while later updates raised the estimated totals to at least 251 missiles and 472 drones.
Bahrain said its defence forces had intercepted and destroyed 124 missiles and 203 drones since the end of last month. Bahraini health authorities earlier reported that an Iranian drone strike on Sitra Island near the capital Manama killed a woman and injured 32 people, including four minors, one of them a one-month-old infant. Four of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.
In Jordan, the armed forces said 85 missiles and drones launched from Iran targeted sites inside the kingdom during the second week of the war, adding that air defences intercepted 79 of them while five drones and one missile fell inside Jordanian territory. Jordanian officials said Iran had also launched 119 missiles and drones toward the kingdom during the first week of the conflict, including 60 missiles and 59 drones, with 108 intercepted. The attacks injured 14 people in the first week and nine in the second, according to Jordanian officials. US forces stationed in Jordan also reported military losses, including damage to a radar linked to the THAAD missile defence system.
Since the outbreak of the war on 28 February, Egypt has reiterated its categorical rejection of Iranian attacks on Arab countries, urging de-escalation to prevent the region from sliding into a full-scale war with potentially catastrophic consequences. On Friday, President El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s unequivocal condemnation and absolute rejection of Iran’s targeting of Gulf states, Jordan, and Iraq, expressing Cairo’s aspiration to uphold the principle of good neighbourliness and halt these attacks immediately.
During a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s regret over the current escalation and its deep concern about its negative repercussions for regional stability and the well-being of the region’s people .
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