Lead:
Egypt observed the thirteenth anniversary of the June 30 Revolution on Monday, with senior officials across legislative, religious, and security institutions reaffirming the significance of the date as a national turning point. Simultaneously, Cairo pursued an active diplomatic agenda — condemning Israeli strikes on Syrian territory, monitoring the kidnapping of Egyptian sailors off Somali shores, and expressing solidarity with Lebanon and Qatar — underscoring the convergence of domestic commemoration and intensifying regional pressures.
Details:
On the domestic front, multiple parliamentary figures cited June 30 as a foundational moment in Egypt's modern political trajectory. According to Elbalad, Major General Ibrahim Al-Masry, Deputy Chairman of the Defence and National Security Committee in the House of Representatives, stated that the revolution was indispensable and that without it, Egypt's national identity would have been lost. Fellow parliamentarian Jihan Shaheen similarly described the date as having restored the state's authority and consolidated what she termed the foundations of the New Republic under President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Elbalad further reported that a broader bloc of parliamentarians from both the House of Representatives and the Senate echoed these assessments, characterising the post-June 30 period as one of stability and development.
On the security and military front, Newsd reported that General Yasser Al-Tawdy, Commander of Egypt's Air Defence Forces, declared that his forces maintain the highest levels of readiness around the clock, equipped with the most advanced systems, to deny adversaries access to Egyptian airspace. The Interior Ministry, according to Sada Al-Balad, announced an extension of the nationwide "Kulluna Wahid" (We Are One) initiative for one additional month, timed to coincide with the June 30 celebrations.
Diplomatically, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a phone call reaffirming Cairo's steadfast support for Lebanon and its people, as reported by Newsd. El-Fagr reported that President Al-Sisi condemned Israeli military aggression on Syrian soil, while separately, the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit issued a strong denunciation of repeated Israeli incursions into Syrian territory. El-Fagr also noted that the Foreign Ministry is actively following the hijacking of Egyptian crew members aboard the vessel MT Eureka off the Somali coast, with Minister Abdelatty directing relevant diplomatic missions to intervene urgently.
Presidential decrees issued on Monday included the appointment of Counsellor Mahmoud Abu Al-Dahab as President of the State Council and Counsellor Huda Ahmed Muhammad Issa as head of the Administrative Prosecution Authority, according to Elbalad.
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