AMU Homeland Security Intelligence Opinion Terrorism

Egypt, Israel Increase Military Presence in the Sinai

By William Tucker

In the last week both the Egyptian and Israeli governments have increased their respective military presence in the Sinai as reports of a strong al-Qaeda presence continue. Indeed, I wrote about this very issue back in June. But the issue isn’t just about tackling militancy in a sensitive geographic area; it is also about continuing cooperation between two neighbors that are concerned about regional trends. The Egyptians and Israelis are very concerned over the future of Libya and Syria with a well founded fear that these nations in chaos could easily become militant safe havens. At present, both nations want to do as much as they can to clear the Sinai of militancy before any threat can manifest along other borders. Fighting on multiple fronts is difficult and neither nation wants to do this while dealing with other political transitions. The Sinai will be an important area to watch in the near future.

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