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Israel vs. al-Qaeda: Emerging Challenges on Two Fronts
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Ehud Yaari - Because of the Arab Spring uprisings, al-Qaeda-affiliated militias have now emerged on Israel's Syrian and Egyptian fronts, which had been largely quiet since the end of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Never before has Israel faced a situation in which its border towns were in such easy range of al-Qaeda militias. In response, Israel has created two new territorial military divisions on the Sinai and Syrian fronts; fences have been constructed along the Egyptian front; troop deployments have been increased; and new intelligence equipment and resources have been allocated for Sinai and the Golan Heights. Meanwhile, Egyptian-Israeli military cooperation is at a level never seen before. Ten Egyptian battalions are now operating in central and eastern Sinai, and Israel wants to see even more Egyptian personnel deployed. Egypt still does not control the main militant safe havens in Jabal Halal and Wadi Amr. Militant groups are equipped with antitank and antiaircraft missiles, allowing them to easily threaten shipping in the Gulf of Aqaba and the Suez Canal, as well as commercial airline traffic and Israeli border towns.