Greece and Egypt reaffirm their commitment to an undersea power cable

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece and Egypt reaffirmed their commitment Wednesday to a proposed undersea electricity interconnection designed to transport renewable energy from North Africa to Europe.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi renewed the pledge during talks in Athens, following the signing of cooperation agreements across multiple sectors.

The planned 3,000-megawatt capacity cable will stretch nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) across the eastern Mediterranean and has secured backing from the European Union, making it eligible for significant EU funding.

“This will allow both Greece and Europe to import low-cost energy – primarily wind energy, which you are able to produce very competitively – and export it to Europe,” Mitsotakis said during joint statements.

The project, estimated to cost around 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion), is expected to become operational within five years, under an ambitious timeline set by both governments. It aims to transmit solar and wind-generated power developed specifically for the project in Egypt, with private sector involvement led by Greece’s Copelouzos Group.

El-Sissi highlighted the project’s strategic importance. “It’s not just a bilateral matter – it’s a strategic regional project, as it creates a direct link that will extend to Europe via Greece,” he said. “We count on the European Union’s support for this major initiative.”

The EU has expressed strong interest in expanding energy partnerships with non-member countries to diversify its energy sources and reduce its historic dependence on Russian energy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Mitsotakis and el-Sissi also discussed regional security, migration challenges, and ways to deepen Egypt’s relationship with the European Union.

“Greece is a steadfast ally of Egypt, including on matters concerning your country’s relationship with the European Union,” Mitsotakis said, underlining Athens’ role in fostering closer EU-Egypt ties.

The talks in Athens concluded with agreements to explore additional energy cooperation, facilitate expanded seasonal employment of Egyptian workers in Greece, and enhance collaboration across financial, defense, and cultural sectors.

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi pose for photographs prior their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signs bilateral agreements next to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, during their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, welcomes Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi prior their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sign bilateral agreements during their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sign bilateral agreements during their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi speaks during a joint news conference with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi gesture during a joint news conference in Athens, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

One U.S. service member was rescued and at least one was missing after two U.S. military planes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the war began nearly five weeks ago.

It was the first time U.S. aircraft have been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”

One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a U.S. military search-and-rescue operation was underway.

Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.

The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Here is the latest:

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency said Saturday that the two men who were hanged belonged to the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

The agency said Abul-Hassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amirian were convicted of “being members of a terrorist group.”

This brings to six the total number of MEK members executed since the start of the war.

Activists and rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that its air force struck ballistic and and anti-aircraft missile storage sites in Tehran.

It said the strikes a day earlier included weapons manufacture sites as well as military research and development facilities in the Iranian capital.

It said the strikes are part of an ongoing phase to increase damage to Iran's “core systems and foundations.”

Authorities in Dubai said the facades of two buildings were damaged by debris from intercepted drones, including one belonging to U.S. tech firm Oracle. No injuries were reported.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened to attack Oracle and 17 other U.S. companies after accusing them of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations in Iran.

Previous Iranian drone strikes caused damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

As of Friday, 247 of the wounded were Army soldiers, 63 were Navy sailors, 19 were Marines and 36 were Air Force airmen, according to Pentagon data available online.

It is unclear if the data includes any of the service members involved in the downing of two combat aircraft reported Friday.

Most of the wounded — 200 — were also mid to senior enlisted troops, 85 were officers and 80 were junior enlisted service members.

The current death toll remains at 13 service members killed in combat.

Palestinian Muslims attend Friday prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City due to restrictions linked to the Iran war, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Tamara and her sister Amal color pictures on the floor as their parents, Sara and Ahmed, who fled their village of Khiyam in southern Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment, sit inside a tent used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Mohammad Qubaisi, 53, with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon undergoes surgery by Dr. Mohammed Ziara, left, and his team, at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

FILE - An F-15E Strike Eagle turns toward the Panamint range over Death Valley National Park, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)