Israel’s IDF has called up six reserve battalions as the situation on the Syrian and Egyptian borders deteriorates. The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, has given permission to call up an additional 16 reserve battalions if necessary, the Times of Israel reported on May 2.
“This signifies that the IDF regards the Egyptian and Syrian borders as the potential source of a greater threat than in the past,” said former deputy chief of staff, Dan Harel. “The army needs a better ‘answer’ than in the past to the threat,” he added, mentioning Egypt’s loss of control over the Sinai.
The Egyptian daily al-Arabiya reports that since the end of January police located at Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula have been attacked approximately 50 times by armed Palestinian groups and what is described as a local branch of al-Qaeda.
In April, Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received intelligence that Egypt and Israel are close to war, according to DEBKAfile. More...
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