"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."
"What they're saying: One Israeli official said Israel decided to ask the Trump administration to intervene after direct talks with the Egyptians showed no progress. "What the Egyptians are doing in Sinai is very serious and we are very concerned," a second Israeli official said, The official said the situation is made worse by the fact that the U.S.-led multinational force of observers has dramatically decreased its overflights in Sinai, therefore limiting its ability to monitor the situation."
Israeli officials allege Egypt has been establishing military infrastructure in Sinai beyond the limits of the 1979 peace agreement, including extended airstrips and underground facilities. Israeli intelligence believes some facilities could be adapted to store missiles, though no evidence of missile storage has been found. Israeli requests for explanations through diplomatic and military channels reportedly produced unsatisfactory answers, prompting Israel to ask the U.S. to intervene after bilateral talks with Egypt stalled. Reduced U.S.-led monitoring flights over Sinai have limited verification capacity. Egypt denies the claims and says the U.S. has not recently raised the matter with Cairo. Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have increased since 2022.
Read at Axios
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