Israel Asks Trump to Pressure Egypt Over "Military Reinforcements"

In a new development adding to the increasing tensions between Egypt and Israel, an American news site has reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested the Trump administration to pressure Egypt to scale back its military buildup in the Sinai Peninsula. Israel views this buildup as a violation of the 1979 peace treaty, for which the United States is a guarantor.

Israeli Concerns Over Offensive Military Infrastructure

According to two Israeli officials speaking to Axios, the Egyptian military is constructing military infrastructure in areas of Sinai where the peace agreement permits only light weapons. The officials noted that some of this infrastructure could be used for offensive purposes. Netanyahu presented a list of these "material violations" to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting in Jerusalem.

One Israeli official stated that Israel decided to seek the Trump administration's intervention after direct talks with the Egyptians failed to yield any progress. A second Israeli official expressed Israel's deep concern, saying: "What the Egyptians are doing in Sinai is very dangerous and we are very worried."

The official added that the situation is being made worse by a significant reduction in aerial surveillance flights by the U.S.-led Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) team in Sinai, which is limiting their ability to monitor the situation effectively.

Egyptian Denial and Rising Tensions

In response, an Egyptian official denied the Israeli allegations, stating that the Trump administration had not recently raised the issue with Egypt.

These developments come amidst a steady rise in tensions between the two countries since the formation of Netanyahu's government in late 2022. The relationship between Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been notably strained, with no public meetings held in nearly three years and no publicly recorded phone calls between them since June 2023.