Egypt's air defences were on "maximum alert" Sunday after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel, a TV channel close to the intelligence services reported, as Cairo warned against an escalation of the conflict.

"A crisis cell ... is closely monitoring the situation and submitting reports to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hour by hour," Al-Qahera News said late Saturday, citing a senior security official.

The Egyptian foregn ministry said it was "deeply concerned" by the events, and called for "maximum restraint" by all sides.

Warning of the risk of a "regional expansion of the conflict," the ministry said in a statement that it was "in direct contact with all the parties to the conflict to try to contain the situation".

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, Cairo has sought to walk a delicate tightrope between showing solidarity with the Palestinians while also maintaining its ties with Israel.

It has also hosted several rounds of negotiations seeking to agree a truce in the six-month war.