For the first time, Israel released satellite images claiming to be of an Egyptian military base containing long-range Scud missiles. The base is allegedly located 12 km from the Egyptian capital Cairo.
The images were released by the Israeli military magazine ‘Israel Defense’, which is published by the Israeli army.
Long-Range Missiles
The Israeli magazine wrote that while Egypt has “signed a peace treaty (with Israel) in 1979, (it) continues to intensify its military capabilities nonetheless.”
“Along with procuring ships, submarines, and combat vehicles, Egypt is also in possession of long-range missiles.”
Egypt also possesses advanced long-range missiles, as it was the first country in the Middle East to fire a number of Scud missiles at Israeli cities during the ‘Yom Kippur War’ – the Hebrew name for the 1973 October Sixth War, the Israeli publication said.
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Iran Connection?
The reason behind the timing of the revelation seems unclear, as Israel is suggesting that Egypt is somehow responsible for Iran’s current missile advanced technology.
“Egypt has also sold Scud missiles to North Korea, in a move that founded the latter’s thriving missile industry. (For) its part, North Korea sold missiles – or missile knowledge – to Iran, and therefore one can say that Egypt bears indirect responsibility for the Iranian threat currently facing Israel,” the article read.
But Israel is also concerned about “where Egypt has been hiding its missiles.”
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The Israeli Army mouthpiece said that the images of the Egyptian base were taken in July 2022 and April 2023.
“While Egypt’s ballistic-missile force remains secretive, recent satellite imagery shows that, despite its age, the country’s R-300 Elbrus (RS-SS-1C Scud B) short-range system is still operational. Analysis of commercial satellite imagery from April 2023 shows what is almost certainly a Scud base on the edge of Cairo,” ‘Israel Defense’ quoted a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) as saying.
Anti-Egyptian Sentiment
No official Egyptian response was issued regarding the image, but relations between Egypt and Israel have suffered following an attack by an Egyptian soldier on Israeli troops near the Egypt-Israel border on June 3.
The Egyptian officer, Mohammed Salah killed three Israelis and wounded two more, before being killed himself.
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The incident raised questions about the strength of relations between Egypt and Israel, especially as the soldier has been celebrated as a hero by Egyptians and Arabs alike.
The Israeli media has been leading the anti-Egyptian charge. The article in ‘Israel Defense’ can be seen as part of the growing anti-Egyptian sentiment in Israel.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
