IDF general downplays concerns about Egyptian military threat to Israel

The Israeli Brig.-Gen. Itamar Ben Chaim, who heads the IDF's 80th Division that operates along the border with Egypt, has downplayed growing concerns about an imminent Egyptian military attack against Israel. 

“The scenario in which the Egyptian army launches an attack in this area – we are not preparing for it because we do not believe it is a realistic scenario in the immediate future,” Ben Chaim stated, reassuring Israeli residents living in southern communities close to the border with Egypt.

A local Israeli resident criticized the IDF general, reminding him of the complacency that the Israeli military establishment displayed before the Hamas Oct. 7 attack. 

“You should take an interest in the agreement,” Ben Chaim responded, referring to the peace agreement with Egypt. Furthermore, the general argued that Israeli military resources are currently allocated to its borders with Lebanon, Gaza, Jordan, Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

“We assess the threats we face. I do not believe that an attack, as described here, will occur in the near future, meaning in the coming years. If such a decision is made, we will know how to prepare,” he said.

However, the Otef Yisrael Forum, which represents hundreds of residents in southern Israeli border communities, criticized the IDF for risking the lives of local Israelis. 

“The IDF is taking serious risks at the expense of residents and dismissing the clear danger before our eyes,” the forum warned.  

“The military must listen to the public rather than dismiss our concerns,” the statement continued. “Before October 7, our warnings were ignored, and we were fed false security assumptions that led to disaster. The minimum demand should be for Egypt to withdraw its forces from northern Sinai."

Egypt and Israel formally signed a peace agreement in 1979, however, Cairo has systematically kept its ties with Israel to a bare minimum amid continued widespread anti-Israel and even anti-Jewish sentiments among Egyptians.

The U.S.-brokered Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement stipulates that the Sinai Peninsula be kept demilitarized. However, in January, Israel reportedly requested answers for the recent Egyptian military buildup in the Sinai. 

In February, Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon expressed concern over Egypt’s growing military expansion and investments in advanced military equipment. 

“They spend hundreds of millions of dollars on modern military equipment every year, yet they have no threats on their borders,” Danon stated. “Why do they need all these submarines and tanks? After October 7, alarm bells should be raised. We have learned our lesson. We must monitor Egypt closely and prepare for every scenario.”

Israel's new ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, echoed similar concerns and accused the Egyptian government of violating the terms of the peace agreement between Cairo and Jerusalem. 

“We have bases being built that can only be used for offensive operations, for offensive weapons – that’s a clear violation,” Leiter assessed in a briefing with Jewish-American organizations. 

However, it appears that Israeli political and military leaders are currently divided on the issue of whether Egypt poses a military threat to Israel. 

Last month, an unnamed senior Israeli official told Israel's KAN public broadcaster he did not believe that Egypt intends to harm the peace agreement with Israel. 

“We do not identify any intention on Egypt's part to harm the peace agreement,” the official claimed without elaborating.