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Egypt, Syria on alert after Israeli F-16 strike

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, May 25, 2001

CAIRO — Egypt and Syria have placed their military forces on a heightened state of alert since the Israeli F-16 attack on Palestinian Authority installations.

Arab diplomatic sources said Syria's military has ordered renewed exercises, placed Syria's missile batteries on alert and cancelled leave by senior commanders.

Egypt's military has been on increased alert since September, when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted. The alert is said to have been heightened in recent days.

The sources said the alert has included Egyptian anti-aircraft batteries as well as Third Army units stationed near the Suez Canal. The units include the U.S.-made M1A1 tank.

The sources said officials in both Cairo and Damascus believe that the F-16 attack was meant to underline Israel's military capability to strike any Arab country ready to confront the Jewish state.

The sources said Egypt has expressed alarm to the United States over Israel's F-16 attack. They said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak — already dismayed by Washington's criticism of his regime's human rights record — is said to be concerned that Israel could in the future deploy the same U.S.-made aircraft in a preemptive strike against Egypt. The F-16s attacked PA installations in the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border.

"What is clear now is that Israel has a plan to carry on with attacks against the Palestinians," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said on Wednesday. "And this is completely unacceptable."

Several Arab allies of the United States have urged the Bush administration to stop further Israeli use of the F-16s against the Palestinians, the sources said.

The Mubarak regime, including Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, is said to have assessed the Israeli strike as a warning to Egypt against continuing to support the Palestinian Authority. Israel and the United States charged that Egyptian authorities have failed to stop the smuggling of weapons from the Sinai to PA forces in the Gaza Strip, the sources said.

Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Obeid told parliament that Egypt's military can stop any threat. "We shall not tolerate any outside threat against Egypt," Obeid said.

Israel's military has also been on alert for attacks from both Palestinians as well as their allies on the Lebanese border. On Thursday, Israeli warplanes and attack helicopters downed a Lebanese Cessna-model plane that Israeli officials said flew from Beirut south into Israeli air space. The plane was downed south of Haifa when the pilot ignored air force orders to land. The pilot was killed.

Hizbullah radio said the plane was flown by a student pilot who was heading from Beirut to Cyprus.

Friday, May 25, 2001


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