by Israel Hayom
For over two years, unmarked Israeli aircraft have waged a covert campaign against terrorists in Sinai, approved by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi
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Israeli aircraft have conducted over 100 missions in Sinai over
the past two years,
according to The New York Times
Illustration: Ziv Koren
The
Sinai Peninsula has become a safe haven for terrorists and jihadist
activity in recent years. Despite considerable efforts by Egyptian
authorities, not only have the terrorists not been defeated, but the
threat they pose has steadily grown. The apogee of the attacks came in
late 2015, when Sinai-based terrorists shot down a Russian passenger
jet, killing 224 people on board. In the wake of that attack, however,
Israel decided to enter the fray, the New York Times reported over the
weekend.
According to the revelations, for over two
years, Israeli drones, helicopters and jets waged a covert campaign
against terrorist groups in Sinai, consisting of over 100 airstrikes on
Egyptian soil – sometimes one attack a week – under the approval of
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu viewed
the military campaign in Egypt as a tool to make the Americans
understand that Cairo was in need of Israel's help. Thus, for example,
in February 2016, then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry convened a
secret summit in Jordan with el-Sissi, Jordan's King Abdullah and
Netanyahu.
At the meeting, The New York Times
reported, Kerry proposed a regional agreement in which Egypt and Jordan
would guarantee Israel's security as part of a deal for a Palestinian
state. Netanyahu reportedly scoffed at the idea, reminding Kerry that
the IDF was already buttressing Egypt's military. If Egypt was unable to
control the ground within its own borders, Netanyahu reportedly argued,
it was hardly in a position to guarantee security for Israel.
Israel's covert campaign in Sinai benefited
both sides: The Egyptian army was finally able to create some positive
momentum in its fight against the terrorist groups in Sinai, a fight
that has persisted for five years already.
Israel, meanwhile, was able to reduce the threat it faced on along its southern border.
The New York Times described the countries'
collaboration in north Sinai "the most dramatic evidence yet" of the
geopolitical changes taking place in the region.
"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," the report said.
American sources quoted in the report said
Israel's air campaign played a decisive role in helping the Egyptian
armed forces gain an upper hand against the terrorist threat. The
sources also said Israeli drones used in the campaign were unmarked, and
that Israeli jets and helicopters covered up their markings. Some
aircraft even flew circuitous routes to create the impression that they
were based in the Egyptian mainland, according to the American
officials. It was unclear, the officials said, whether Israeli special
forces have set foot on Egyptian soil within the framework of the
campaign.
Inside the American government, The New
York Times said, the Israeli strikes are "widely known enough that
diplomats and intelligence officials have discussed them in closed
briefings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill."
Israel Hayom
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/02/04/new-york-times-reveals-secret-israeli-egyptian-alliance-to-combat-terror-in-sinai/
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