Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Trump administration to pressure Egypt to reduce a military build-up in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a report by Axios.
"Israeli officials say the Egyptian military build-up in Sinai has become another significant point of tension between the countries as the war in Gaza continues," said the report on Saturday.
Citing one US official and two Israeli officials, Axios said Netanyahu presented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during their meeting on Monday in Jerusalem, with a list of Egyptian activities in Sinai that he claimed substantially violate the 1979 peace agreement with Israel, for which the US acts as guarantor.
The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel were signed in Washington in 1979 by then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
The Sinai Peninsula was divided under the treaty into designated military zones with varying limits on troops and weaponry.
Two Israeli officials said Egypt has been expanding the military infrastructure, "some of which could be used for offensive purposes" in areas where only light weapons are permitted under the treaty, according to the report.
They cited extended "runways at air bases in Sinai so that they could be used by fighter jets and built underground facilities which Israeli intelligence believes could be used for storing missiles."
'Very serious'
There is no evidence missiles are being stored there, Axios cited the Israeli officials as saying, but they said Egypt had not offered a reasonable explanation, despite Israeli inquiries through diplomatic and military channels.
One Israeli official told Axios the request for US intervention came after direct talks with Cairo failed to make progress. Another said that "what the Egyptians are doing in Sinai is very serious and we are very concerned."
Officials noted that the US-led multinational observer force in Sinai has reduced overflights, limiting monitoring of the situation and making it worse.
An Egyptian official, according to the report, denied the Israeli claims and said the Trump administration "hasn't raised the issue with Egypt recently."
Egypt has reinforced its border with besieged Gaza during the genocidal war of Israel, warning Tel Aviv against forcing Palestinians into Sinai and calling such a move a threat to its national security.
Securing border
On Saturday, Egypt said that its military deployment in the Sinai Peninsula is aimed at securing national borders and is consistent with a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
"The forces present in Sinai primarily aim to secure the Egyptian borders against all risks, including terrorism and smuggling, and this is carried out within prior coordination with the parties to the peace treaty," Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) said in a statement.
It added that Egypt has never violated a treaty or agreement in its history and remains fully committed to preserving the peace accord.
Egypt also reiterated its rejection of any attempt to expand the carnage in Gaza or to expel Palestinians from their land.
Cairo reaffirmed support for the establishment of a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
