Former Egyptian Ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Basyouni, has died in Cairo at the age of 74. Basyouni, who served longer than any other Egyptian as his country's envoy to the Jewish State, died Sunday at his home. His son told the official Egyptian news agency MENA that his father had suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, but had led “an active life” almost until the day he died.

Despite his bluntness and rumors of at least one incident of sexual harrassment, Basyouni was a popular fixture in the Tel Aviv diplomatic social scene. Egyptian media once quoted him as having said that his role as a diplomat provided cover for his intelligence activities, but he firmly denied the report.

He was also quoted by the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz in 2008 as saying, “We made peace with a right-wing party, with Menachem Begin. We believed then, and we believe now, that peace can be made only with a strong leader.” This report he never denied.

Basyouni, who entered the Egyptian military in 1950, earned a commission as an intelligence officer early in his career. He fought against Israel in four separate wars, the last of which was the Yom Kippur War, in which he played a pivotal part in coordinating an Egyptian-Syrian offensive against Israel.

Shortly thereafter he was sent as a military attache to Iran, during the reign of the Shah.

It was in 1982 that Basyouni was first sent to Tel Aviv, to serve as a deputy ambassador after Egypt recalled its ambassador in outrage over Israel's conflict with its northern neighbor in the first Lebanon War. Four years later, he was appointed Ambassador to Israel, and served until the year 2000 – the longest-serving diplomat in that role.

Like his predecessor, however, Basyouni was eventually recalled to Cairo in the year 2000 to protest another Israeli attempt to defend itself – this time with restrictions on Palestinian Authority Arabs in response to terrorism via the “Second Intifada.”

Upon his arrival, the former ambassador was appointed deputy chairman of the Egyptian Shura Council's foreign relations committee. The Shura Council is the Egyptian parliament's upper house.   

Basyouni will be laid to rest Monday after a military funeral in Cairo.