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CAIRO, July 19-- Egypt's National Defense Council (NDC), headed by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, discussed on Sunday the latest developments of the Libyan crisis and the Ethiopian grand hydropower dam built on the Nile River, said the Egyptian presidency. The NDC comprises the parliament speaker, the prime minister, the defense minister, the army chief of staff, the intelligence chief, the ministers of foreign affairs, interior and finance and other senior officials. The national defense body reiterated Egypt's commitment to end illegal foreign interventions that exacerbate the security situation in Libya and pose threats to neighboring states as well as international peace and security, Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. "Libya's security is an integral part of the Egyptian and Arab national security," the NDC said, highlighting its commitment to a political settlement for the Libyan conflict, according to Rady. Sisi has recently vowed that his country would not stand idle in the face of any direct threats to the security of Egypt and Libya. Meanwhile, the Egyptian parliament is expected to have a vote this week on approving Egyptian military intervention in Libya to help defend the western neighbor against Turkish intervention. Libya has been engaged in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The situation escalated in 2017, splitting power between two rival governments with warring forces: the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). | 
