An unusual message that security officers in communities near Israel’s southern border received on Sunday morning caused outrage among the residents: the Egyptian army is expected to conduct exercises and live-fire drills over the coming week at a distance of only about 100 meters from Israel’s border.
The drill’s proximity to the border has raised significant concern among security officials and residents, especially given the heightened sensitivity since the October 7 massacre.
Residents expressed great anger over the drill’s proximity to Israel, saying that it could create a dangerous precedent and increase the sense of insecurity among residents.
The Israel Border Area Forum issued a sharp statement saying, “It is unacceptable to allow the Egyptian army to train in such proximity to the fence. This comes after numerous Egyptian pickup trucks approached the fence just a few weeks ago. This is a painful reminder of our enemies’ method of conducting exercises on the fence before October 7.”
“We warn against creating dangerous norms that led us to October 7. The residents of the border area are not a testing ground for the State of Israel, nor a training ground for the Egyptian army.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
