🇮🇱❌🇪🇬 Netanyahu asked U.S. to press Egypt to scale down on military build up in Sinai

During their meeting in Jerusalem on Monday, Netanyahu presented Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a list of activities in Sinai that he claimed were substantial violations by Egypt of its 1979 peace agreement with Israel, for which the U.S. serves as guarantor.

Two Israeli officials said the Egyptian have been establishing military infrastructure — some of which could be used for offensive purposes — in areas where only light weapons are allowed under the treaty.

The officials claimed the Egyptians extended runways at air bases in Sinai so that they could be used by fighter jets, and built underground facilities which Israeli intelligence believes could be used for storing missiles.

There's no evidence the Egyptians are actually storing missiles in those facilities, the officials say.

But they claim the Egyptians did not provide a reasonable explanation as to their purpose when asked by Israel through diplomatic and military channels.

The Egyptians have grown increasingly worried during Israel's war in Gaza that Netanyahu and his government want to push some or all of the two million Palestinians in Gaza into Sinai.

The Egyptians boosted their forces on the border with Gaza and said an influx of Palestinian refugees would be treated as a threat to Egypt's national security. Sisi's government has also warned Israel against actions that could undermine their peace agreement.

📝: Israelis demand that the Egyptians explain to Israel why they are building infrastructure in their own territory because they think Israel might be under threat.

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