Daily Alert Archives

Egypt's Chaos and Its Implications for Israel

(BICOM) Ehud Yaari - The security situation in Sinai is grave and perceived by the top echelon of the Egyptian military to be very dangerous. There are different militias of Salafi Jihadists, Bedouins and volunteers from abroad that are attacking, at will, Egyptian military and security positions in Sinai. We are witnessing a state of semi-open rebellion by many tribes in Sinai, led by Salafi militias who have declared the establishment of a "war council" to fight the Egyptian military. The military is especially worried about the possibility of anti-tank missiles being used against ships in the Suez Canal, and they have taken unprecedented precautions around the canal and oil installations in the city of Suez at the southern end of the canal, following an attempt to fire a Grad missile in the area. The Egyptian army is showing the flag by manning roadblocks and defending sensitive government installations, but this is still mostly talk, and there is no concerted effort to tackle the jihadist militias. The writer, a veteran Middle East commentator for Israel's Channel 2 News, is an international fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2013-07-10 00:00:00
Full Article