Egypt Explains Reason of Sinai Military Presence

(MENAFN) Egypt declared late Saturday that its armed deployment in the Sinai Peninsula is intended to protect national frontiers and aligns with the 1979 peace accord with Israel.

This clarification followed a report by a US-based news outlet, which stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested the Trump administration to pressure Egypt into reducing its military presence in Sinai.

According to Israeli authorities, the buildup breached the peace treaty.

“The forces present in Sinai primarily aim to secure the Egyptian borders against all risks, including terrorism and smuggling, and this is carried out within prior coordination with the parties to the peace treaty,” the State Information Service (SIS) of Egypt emphasized in an announcement.

The statement further underscored that Egypt has never breached any treaty or agreement throughout its history and remains fully dedicated to upholding the peace pact.

Quoting one US official and two Israeli officials, the news outlet mentioned that Netanyahu handed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during their meeting Monday in Jerusalem, a list of Egyptian operations in Sinai that he alleged significantly infringe on the peace agreement, for which the United States serves as guarantor.

The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel were signed in Washington by then-Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

Under the treaty, the Sinai Peninsula was separated into specified military zones with differing restrictions on the number of troops and weaponry permitted for both Egypt and Israel.

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