Israel ‘concerned’ about Egypt’s military buildup in Sinai, report says
Netanyahu asks Trump administration to intervene over alleged violations of 1979 peace treaty
Israel is “concerned” about Egypt’s growing military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, a senior Israeli official told Axios, as tensions between the two countries rise.
The reported buildup has become a major point of contention between Cairo and Tel Aviv in recent months.
After failing to resolve the matter through direct talks with Egyptian officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked the Trump administration to intervene, Axios reported on Saturday, citing one US official and two Israeli officials.
During a meeting on Monday, Netanyahu presented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a list of activities he claims constitute serious violations of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.
According to Israeli officials, these violations include the construction of military infrastructure that could be used for offensive operations in areas where only lightly armed forces are permitted under the terms of the treaty.
Israel is “concerned” about Egypt’s growing military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, a senior Israeli official told Axios, as tensions between the two countries rise.
The reported buildup has become a major point of contention between Cairo and Tel Aviv in recent months.
After failing to resolve the matter through direct talks with Egyptian officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked the Trump administration to intervene, Axios reported on Saturday, citing one US official and two Israeli officials.
During a meeting on Monday, Netanyahu presented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a list of activities he claims constitute serious violations of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.
According to Israeli officials, these violations include the construction of military infrastructure that could be used for offensive operations in areas where only lightly armed forces are permitted under the terms of the treaty.
They added that Egypt has built underground military facilities and extended runways at airbases in Sinai to accommodate fighter jets.
Israeli officials suspect the underground sites could be intended for missile storage, though they admit there is currently no concrete evidence to support this claim.
“What the Egyptians are doing in Sinai is very serious, and we are very concerned,” an Israeli official told Axios.
Another official said Israel had raised the issue with Egypt through diplomatic and military channels, but the discussions yielded no progress.
Israeli sources also claimed that Egypt failed to offer a satisfactory explanation for the buildup.
An Egyptian official told Axios that the Trump administration had not raised the issue with Cairo and denied Israel’s allegations.
A separate Egyptian source told Haaretz that the military presence in Sinai is driven entirely by Cairo’s fear that Israel may attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza into Egyptian territory.
Egypt on alert
Last month, Middle East Eye revealed that Egypt had deployed additional forces along the Gaza border amid fears that Israel’s planned occupation of the strip could trigger a mass exodus of Palestinians into North Sinai.
Israel is “concerned” about Egypt’s growing military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, a senior Israeli official told Axios, as tensions between the two countries rise.
The reported buildup has become a major point of contention between Cairo and Tel Aviv in recent months.
After failing to resolve the matter through direct talks with Egyptian officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked the Trump administration to intervene, Axios reported on Saturday, citing one US official and two Israeli officials.
During a meeting on Monday, Netanyahu presented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a list of activities he claims constitute serious violations of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.
According to Israeli officials, these violations include the construction of military infrastructure that could be used for offensive operations in areas where only lightly armed forces are permitted under the terms of the treaty.
They added that Egypt has built underground military facilities and extended runways at airbases in Sinai to accommodate fighter jets.
Israeli officials suspect the underground sites could be intended for missile storage, though they admit there is currently no concrete evidence to support this claim.
“What the Egyptians are doing in Sinai is very serious, and we are very concerned,” an Israeli official told Axios.
Another official said Israel had raised the issue with Egypt through diplomatic and military channels, but the discussions yielded no progress.
Israeli sources also claimed that Egypt failed to offer a satisfactory explanation for the buildup.
An Egyptian official told Axios that the Trump administration had not raised the issue with Cairo and denied Israel’s allegations.
A separate Egyptian source told Haaretz that the military presence in Sinai is driven entirely by Cairo’s fear that Israel may attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza into Egyptian territory.
Egypt on alert
Last month, Middle East Eye revealed that Egypt had deployed additional forces along the Gaza border amid fears that Israel’s planned occupation of the strip could trigger a mass exodus of Palestinians into North Sinai
A senior Egyptian military source said approximately 40,000 troops are now stationed in North Sinai, almost double the number permitted under the 1979 treaty.
“Egypt’s army is on the highest state of alert we’ve seen in years,” the source said, noting that Cairo had notified Israel of the reinforcements.
Egypt has reportedly deployed armoured vehicles, Chinese air defence systems, special forces, and M60 battle tanks in and around the cities of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, as well as near al-Jura village, close to the Gaza border.
“Egypt insists the mobilisation is defensive, but has made it equally clear that any strike on its territory would be met with a firm response,” the source added.
Earlier this month, MEE also revealed that Egyptian intelligence uncovered Israeli plots to target Hamas leaders in Cairo, and warned that any such action would provoke a strong military response.
