Title: Sisi Discusses Regional Escalation Risks with Assad and the Need to Avoid Conflict Expansion

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call today from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, during which the two leaders exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the new Hijri year, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency. The call addressed regional developments, where they exchanged views on the dangers of escalation in the region and the necessity to avoid the expansion of the conflict and to maintain regional security and stability, emphasizing a complete rejection of attempts to settle the Palestinian issue or displace Palestinians. President Sisi, in this context, confirmed "Egypt's continued efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to implement humanitarian aid sustainably and in quantities that meet the needs of the Palestinian brothers, while continuing to push for the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," according to the same source.