Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty departed for Beirut on Thursday to hand over a shipment of humanitarian and relief aid from the Egyptian people to Lebanon, the ministry said in a statement.

The visit comes in implementation of directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to urgently respond to Lebanon’s needs and provide support to ease the worsening humanitarian situation and the repercussions of internal displacement, the ministry said.

It reflects Egypt’s firm position backing the Lebanese state at a critical juncture and its commitment to supporting national institutions to enable them to fulfill their role, thereby preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity, security and stability.

During the visit, Abdelatty is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with Lebanese officials to convey a message of solidarity from Egypt and reaffirm Cairo’s support for Lebanon in facing current challenges.

Talks will also address ways to intensify diplomatic efforts to contain the regional crisis and bolster stability.

Abdelatty’s visit comes amid escalating Israeli strikes on Lebanon that have killed nearly 1,100 people, including dozens of children, and displaced more than one million over the past month.

The escalation has intensified alongside the US-Israel war on Iran, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and prompted retaliatory rocket fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah into northern Israel.

Amid the heightened hostilities, Israel said this week it intends to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River and prevent the return of displaced residents.

Hezbollah has vowed to resist any Israeli advance, describing such a move as an “existential threat” to the Lebanese state.