An escalation in tensions in the Middle East over the detonation of Hezbollah pagers threatened to overshadow U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's latest regional diplomacy push, as he met senior Egyptian officials on Wednesday hoping to advance efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and improve ties with Cairo.

Egypt will not accept any changes to the security arrangements that were in place on its border with Gaza before war broke out between Israel and Hamas last October, the Egyptian foreign minister said on Wednesday.

During his visit, Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and other senior officials. According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken’s discussions in Cairo focused on finding a cease-fire proposal acceptable to both Israel and Hamas.