Are Egypt and Israel heading towards a military clash?
Egyptian observers and analysts believe that under Benjamin Netanyahu and his increasingly bullying policies, a military confrontation between Egypt and Israel is likely to flare up, but the time has not yet come.
Al-Nahar added: This belief was formed by the recent Israeli attack on Qatar, which, along with Egypt and the United States, is an effective mediator in efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip and free Israeli prisoners.
The newspaper continued: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s description of Israel as an “enemy” in his speech on Monday at the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Doha is a significant development and reinforces this belief, as his statements reflect Cairo’s unprecedented official position.
Al-Nahar wrote: This is the first time since former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited the Israeli Knesset (parliament) in 1977 that the Egyptian political leadership has publicly described Israel as an “enemy.”
According to Al-Nahar, at the end of his speech at the aforementioned summit, Al-Sisi said: “Our positions must change the enemy’s perception of us, so that the enemy sees that the area of every Arab country, from the ocean to the Persian Gulf, is covered by its umbrella of protection over all Islamic and peace-loving countries.”
The newspaper, citing “reports indicate the deployment of Egyptian air defense systems in the Sinai Peninsula and the deployment of a large number of military forces and equipment in this region,” quoted Major General Mohammed Rashad, former deputy head of the Egyptian intelligence service, as saying: Israel’s aggression against Doha has strengthened Cairo’s determination to take action to protect its territory and national security.
Al-Nahar added: “Reports from Israeli circles indicate that after Israel’s aggression against the capital of Qatar, Cairo informed Washington that any attempt to target representatives of Palestinian groups on Egyptian soil would have ‘catastrophic’ consequences.”