Sisi makes first-ever call to Assad as Egypt sends aid to earthquake-hit Syria, Turkey

Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi made the first-ever phone call to his Syrian counterpart Bashar El-Assad on Tuesday as Egypt sent aid to Syria and Turkey after a devastating earthquake hit two countries a day earlier.

Five military planes carrying emergency medical aid were sent to Syria and Turkey to contribute to relief efforts, Egyptian local media outlets reported.

During Sisi's call to Assad, he extended condolences to victims and stressed Egypt's support to Syria during its ordeal, the reports added.

Sisi further reiterated Egypt's solidarity with Syria and its people in the current calamity and that he would direct all possible aid to the country.

On Monday, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks struck eastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria, toppling hundreds of buildings, killing and injuring thousands of people.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement quoted by local news outlets that Egypt was ready to assist to help both Syria and Turkey face the horrifying impact of the deadly earthquake that struck both countries.

On the same day, Sisi called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stressing his country's readiness.

The death toll in both countries has passed 11,000, with the numbers expected to rise further.

Egypt has been at odds with both Syria and Turkey for years now.

The conflict in Syria was triggered by the 2011 Arab uprising that spread across the region, in which Egypt ousted long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak. Syria was suspended from the Arab League later in the same year for cracking down on protesters. The country soon morphed into a civil war, claiming at least half a million lives.

Cairo and Ankara have been seeking to mend ties after Turkey refused to recognise Sisi as the country's president after a 2013 military coup that overthrew Egypt's first democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi.