![]() The new president, Mohamed Morsi, pledged to respect the Camp David agreements. Israeli officials were concerned in 2012 when Egypt, after its Arab Spring revolt, elected a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to the presidency. And Egyptian and Israeli intelligence agencies have long shared information about militants on both sides of the border. ![]() ![]() Egyptian security forces have helped Israel enforce restrictions on the flow of goods in and out of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory bordering Egypt controlled by the militant group Hamas. The Egyptian government has declared the North Sinai a closed military zone, barring journalists from gathering information there.īehind the scenes, Egypt’s top generals have grown steadily closer to their Israeli counterparts since the signing of the Camp David accords 40 years ago, in 1978. Sisi has taken even more care, American officials say, to hide the origin of the strikes from all but a limited circle of military and intelligence officers. It is unclear if any Israeli troops or special forces have set foot inside Egyptian borders, which would increase the risk of exposure. In Israel, military censors restrict public reports of the airstrikes. Some fly circuitous routes to create the impression that they are based in the Egyptian mainland, according to American officials briefed on their operations. The Israeli drones are unmarked, and the Israeli jets and helicopters cover up their markings. Seven current or former British and American officials involved in Middle East policy described the Israeli attacks inside Egypt, all speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information.īoth neighbors have sought to conceal Israel’s role in the airstrikes for fear of a backlash inside Egypt, where government officials and the state-controlled media continue to discuss Israel as a nemesis and pledge fidelity to the Palestinian cause. But the Israeli role is having some unexpected consequences for the region, including on Middle East peace negotiations, in part by convincing senior Israeli officials that Egypt is now dependent on them even to control its own territory. Shared enemies like ISIS, Iran and political Islam have quietly brought the leaders of several Arab states into growing alignment with Israel - even as their officials and news media continue to vilify the Jewish state in public.Īmerican officials say Israel’s air campaign has played a decisive role in enabling the Egyptian armed forces to gain an upper hand against the militants. Their collaboration in the North Sinai is the most dramatic evidence yet of a quiet reconfiguration of the politics of the region. For Israel, the strikes have bolstered the security of its borders and the stability of its neighbor. For Cairo, the Israeli intervention has helped the Egyptian military regain its footing in its nearly five-year battle against the militants.
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