Cairo and Washington Find Common Ground: Preventing War in Lebanon
Concerns over human rights abuses and allegations of illegal Egyptian involvement in US politics have been toned down as Washington focuses on Cairo’s role in mediating the region’s volatile reality
[Cairo] Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Egypt and the United States are finding common ground on key regional concerns—chief among them, the potential for full-scale war in Lebanon.
With Iran-backed Hezbollah becoming increasingly belligerent and Lebanon getting further drawn into the ongoing Gaza conflict, both Cairo and Washington are worried about ramifications across the Middle East. The US and Egypt both understand that escalation by Hezbollah could lead to a wider war with increased involvement of Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. This scenario would also entail more attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a serious concern for Egypt.
For Egypt, Hezbollah represents a conduit for Iranian influence across the Middle East. Egypt, a Sunni-majority country, has long sought to counterbalance Iran’s growing power in the region, especially as embodied in Shiite proxy forces like Hezbollah.
“Egypt is deeply concerned about Hezbollah’s destabilizing role in Lebanon,” said Dr. Said Sadek, a professor of political sociology at Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology. “The Iranian-backed group isn’t just a threat to Israeli security; it threatens the stability of the entire region.”
Sadek noted that neither Washington nor Cairo is sanguine about the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. “The goal is to prevent a regional war that would further empower Iran,” he explained.
Cairo’s diplomatic connections with a broad range of Lebanese factions, including some close to Hezbollah, place Egypt in a unique position to mediate and de-escalate tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. “Egypt’s long historical experience as a mediator gives it credibility in maintaining peace in volatile situations like this,” Sadek said.
The smuggling of weapons between Gaza and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has been a longstanding source of tension between Egypt and Israel and a direct concern to the US military. The US contributes troops to the Multinational Force and Observers, the peacekeeping force that oversees the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
After the Egyptian revolution in 2011, Egypt became more vocal about how weapons smuggling was contributing to instability in Sinai.
In 2015, amid a growing Islamic State group insurgency, Egypt took dramatic steps, including flooding tunnels between Sinai and Gaza and demolishing the border city of South Rafah to create a buffer zone. Those steps resulted in the displacement of around 70,000 civilians. Egypt also built a concrete wall along the Philadelphi Corridor border between Gaza and Egypt, which was completed in 2020.
Despite these well-publicized Egyptian efforts, smuggling continued.
According to David Schenker, Taube senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, worrying reports surfaced about Egyptian state involvement in aboveground smuggling. Former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman indicated that most smuggling after 2018 occurred via trucks passing through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.
“These developments have raised doubts about Egypt’s ability or willingness to curb smuggling fully, complicating its relations with the US as both countries work to manage the Gaza conflict,” said Schenker, who served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs during the Trump Administration.
Following October 7, Israeli forces discovered operational tunnels that had escaped the Egyptian attempt to seal the border, raising further questions about the efficacy of Egypt’s efforts.
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Regardless of the blame game over Hamas’ arms pipeline, the US and Egypt share common frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, which they believe have inflamed tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem even as the world’s attention has focused mostly on Gaza.
Both the US and Egypt have expressed dissatisfaction with the Israeli military’s air campaign and approach to humanitarian aid, which they believe have worsened the situation in Gaza and hindered prospects for both a hostage release and a cease-fire.
Cairo officials say that Netanyahu’s government has made it difficult for Egypt to serve as an effective mediator. The United States shares these concerns, having grown wary of Netanyahu’s reluctance to green-light cease-fire proposals worked out with the Egyptians and Qataris.
Sadek explained that this wariness toward Israel has brought Egypt and the US closer. “Netanyahu’s refusal to soften his stance has isolated him, not just from Egypt, but from his own allies. Both Egypt and the US recognize that this hardline approach is only worsening the situation,” Sadek said.
An even more transformative outcome of the October 7 Hamas attack has been the growing cooperation between Egypt and Qatar.
Historically, relations between the two nations have been strained, largely due to Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the urgency of the Gaza crisis has brought them together to work on cease-fire and prisoner exchange efforts.
“Both Egypt and Qatar have unique roles to play in Gaza,” Sadek said. “Egypt’s geographic, historical, and social connections to Gaza and Qatar’s ties to Hamas make them critical players in the region’s efforts to manage the conflict.”
The US has played a quiet but important role in fostering this cooperation. According to Sadek, American mediators helped bridge the gap between Egypt and Qatar, understanding that both nations are essential to regional stability. “The US recognized that without Egypt and Qatar working together, efforts to stabilize Gaza would be much harder,” Sadek said.
Looking ahead, the US-Egypt partnership is expected to strengthen as both nations seek to address ongoing challenges in the region. Cooperation on security, counterterrorism, and economic development is likely to deepen as Egypt solidifies its role as a stabilizing force. With the region facing growing instability, both Egypt and the US “recognize the need for Egypt’s diplomatic leadership,” Sadek said.
The Gaza conflict has underscored Egypt’s pivotal role in maintaining regional peace. Washington increasingly views Egypt as a key player, not only in Gaza but across the wider Middle East. According to Sadek, the conflict has “revived the American pragmatic approach to Egypt’s regional importance.”
The US recently released $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt, despite concerns about the country’s human rights record. Allegations of Cairo’s attempts to bribe US Senator Bob Menendez and reports of illegal campaign contributions from Egypt to Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign also haven’t stopped the Biden Administration from prioritizing Egypt’s role in regional stability.
These strategic calculations reflect the delicate balance Washington strives to maintain. The Biden Administration is weighing regional security interests against concerns over Egypt’s attempts to engage in American politics.
Negad El-Borai, a leading human rights advocate in Egypt, emphasized that Egypt is central to maintaining stability in the Middle East. “Egypt is a fundamental pillar of stability, and the US understands this,” he told The Media Line. He expressed confidence that the US-Egypt partnership will continue to grow stronger, despite occasional friction.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to Cairo—his tenth trip to the Middle East since the outbreak of the Gaza war—further highlights Egypt’s importance to US strategy in the region. Cairo was Blinken’s sole stop during this trip, and a visit to Israel was notably absent from his itinerary.
Abdel Monem Said Aly, an Egyptian senator and head of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, described Blinken’s visit as indicative of a shift in US-Egypt relations. “The United States’ relations with Egypt have never been closer. In 2020, the US had a negative view of Egypt. Today, their position is much more positive,” Said Aly told The Media Line.
The visit underscored the broad range of issues on which Egypt and the US collaborate, from regional security to humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Said Aly noted that the evolving dynamics of the region require a recalibrated US approach, one that recognizes Egypt’s critical role in maintaining stability. “This visit shows that Egypt is at the center of the US’s regional strategy,” he said.
Blinken’s recent visit to Cairo also included discussions on how the US and Egypt can continue to collaborate on energy security.
The two countries are working together to develop the vast natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt, a major regional gas producer, has partnered with Israel, Cyprus, and Greece to ensure the safe and stable exploitation of these resources. The Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which is based in Cairo, plays a crucial role in this effort.
Both the US and Egypt are particularly concerned about tensions with Turkey, which has disputed certain maritime borders. The countries are focused on preventing disruptions to gas exploration and production, which would have significant economic and geopolitical consequences.
Sadek noted that Egypt’s leadership in securing and managing these resources is essential for both regional and European energy security. “The US sees Egypt as a reliable partner in ensuring the stability of the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said.
“There’s a shared interest in keeping the situation calm,” he continued. “Any disruption could hurt not only the region’s economies but also global energy and supply markets.”
Tarek Radwan, chair of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee in Egypt’s House of Representatives, acknowledged that US-Egypt relations have faced challenges, particularly regarding human rights.
“The US used to dictate terms rather than collaborate,” Radwan told The Media Line. “Gaza has shifted priorities.”
“We can say that since the beginning of October 7, Israeli actions and procedures are deducting from the American political balance in the region. There’s been a reevaluation, and now the US recognizes that Egypt is key to regional stability,” Radwan said. “This war is reshaping the relationship.”
