TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Tehran Sunday evening to begin a two-day diplomatic mission to Egypt and Lebanon, where he is expected to hold high-level meetings, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Baghaei said the meetings will focus on a broad spectrum of bilateral issues, as well as key developments in the region and beyond.

According to Baghaei, the trip reflects Iran’s growing emphasis on strengthening ties and coordinating more closely with regional partners at a time of heightened tensions and strategic realignments.

“The foreign minister’s visit is part of Iran’s ongoing efforts to deepen regional dialogue,” Baghaei said, adding that the agenda includes bilateral relations, regional consultations, and coordination on pressing international developments, with particular attention to the situation in occupied Palestine.

The spokesman noted that Iran seeks to engage in “serious and constructive” discussions with Cairo and Beirut on how to confront the escalating crisis in Gaza, the broader implications of Israeli aggression, and the pursuit of regional stability through diplomacy.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on Gaza, including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship, since Palestinian Resistance movements launched their surprise attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, against the regime on October 7, 2023. The attack was in response to decades of Israeli crimes in occupied Palestine.

According to the Health Ministry of Gaza, at least 54,381 Palestinians have been killed—mostly women and children—and over 124,381 injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught since the war began nearly eight months ago.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated dramatically since March 2, after the Israeli regime imposed a full aid blockade on the besieged territory, which was already grappling with food and water shortages.

Since the aid blockade began, 57 children have died from the effects of malnutrition, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. This number is likely an underestimate and is expected to rise, according to the World Health Organization.

WHO warned last month that if the situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next eleven months, citing a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).