[Jerusalem Post] Yaakov Katz - There is growing anxiety within the Israeli defense establishment regarding the stability of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime and the possibility that an Islamic takeover there could lead to war with Israel. The IDF's work plan for 2007 includes a section dedicated to "finding answers to counter Western military equipment in the region." High-ranking officers warned this week that while certain countries in the region might appear to be stable, they could easily collapse. What is most troubling for Israel is that Egypt has built up a powerful and massive, Westernized military force. Egypt recently increased its defense expenditures by 30% and has ballistic missiles from North Korea and missile patrol boats from Germany, as well as F-16 combat jets, Abrams tanks, and Apache helicopters. Egypt has 450,000 regular troops as compared to Israel's tens of thousands. As long as Mubarak remains in power, a defense official said, Israel doesn't need to worry. "But the moment he falls and the Muslim Brotherhood takes over we could find ourselves facing a new front," he warned.
2007-01-12 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive