CIA chief meets Egypt’s Sisi in rare Cairo talks

CAIRO

Egyptian President Sisi hosts CIA chief Ratcliffe in Cairo on Sept. 20.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sept. 20 in a rare visit to Cairo, as the United States warned of rapid escalation in the Middle East war.

Sisi’s office said the meeting, attended by Egypt’s spy chief Hassan Rashad, discussed the wars in Iran, the Gaza Strip and Sudan, as well as attacks on Gulf countries and threats to maritime security.

Sisi stressed “the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks,” according to a presidency statement.

It comes after the US State Department warned Americans against travel to the region, as hostilities rage between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis.

This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly,” it warned.

The violence has already disrupted air and marine traffic, as well as energy exports, pushing global oil prices past $100 a barrel.

Ratcliffe’s visit comes days after de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Sisi in Cairo.

The pair urged safe and secure maritime navigation through Bab al-Mandab, after the Houthis seized the Yemeni coast in a lightning offensive.

U.S. media last week reported Washington refused a Saudi request to strike the Houthis.