Egypt Denies Reports about Israeli Military Operations on Its Border with Gaza

Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)
Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)
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Egypt Denies Reports about Israeli Military Operations on Its Border with Gaza

Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)
Israeli artillery fires on targets in the Gaza Strip (EPA)

Egypt denied on Saturday reports about an Israeli ground operation starting along the border through the Kerm Abu Salem crossing to the Philadelphia Axis between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, Al Qahera News reported.
Earlier, Israeli media outlets reported tensions between Egypt and Israel, saying the Israeli army had launched operations near the Egyptian border.
The Israeli Walla news website said Israeli tanks have begun a ground operation from the Karm Abu Salem, in the southern Strip of Gaza, to the Rafah crossing along the axis of the so-called Philadelphia Route.
According to the Israeli report, Tel Aviv sought to avoid acting on this axis to prevent provoking the Egyptian side.
The expansion of Israeli military operations south of Gaza, especially on the Philadelphia axis is raising Egyptian concern.
It comes amid concerns that tension could rise between the two countries as Cairo fears a “forced displacement of Palestinians” towards the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.

Egyptian MP Mustafa Bakri warned of the repercussions of any Israeli military action near the Egyptian border.
On his X account, the deputy wrote, “This is a dangerous development that portends dire consequences for the border region... Egypt’s borders are a red line.” He said the “Zionist actions” could cause a serious crisis.
Meanwhile, the General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza said on Saturday that Egypt has denied reports about military movements by the Israeli forces along the Egyptian-Palestinian borders.
It said, “Some media outlets are intentionally or unknowingly playing suspicious roles in the transmission of news and information. We ask them to adhere to the national line and the supreme interest of our people.”
The Israeli army continues its harsh military operations in Gaza.
The director general of the Gaza hospital said, “The Israeli occupation carries out massacres in the Gaza Strip,” reporting daily arrival of hundreds of martyrs and wounded to the hospital.
He told Al Qahera News, “We are experiencing a severe shortage of medical supplies... The occupation prevents aid trucks from reaching hospitals and residents.”
The director general then warned about the collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip.
Until Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said 20,258 people have been killed and 53,688 people were injured in the Israeli attacks.



Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)

The Lebanese military said it has detained a group of people linked to firing rockets into Israel last month.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, the army said it had detained several people, including a number of Palestinians, who were involved in firing rockets in two separate attacks toward Israel in late March that triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denied at the time it was behind the firing of rockets, The Associated Press reported.

The army said that a vehicle and other equipment used in the rockets attacks were confiscated and the detainees were referred to judicial authorities. The army said it had carried out raids in different parts of Lebanon to detain the suspects without giving further details.

On Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported that Gen. Rodolph Haikal briefed a weekly cabinet meeting about the security situation along the border and the ongoing implementation of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

Three security and one judicial official told The Associated Press that four Palestinians linked to the Hamas group are being questioned.

A Hamas official told the AP that several members of the group were detained in Lebanon recently and released shortly afterward adding that they were not involved in firing rockets into Israel. He said in one case authorities detained a Hamas member who was carrying an unlicensed pistol.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Hezbollah started launching attacks on Israel a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 with the Palestinian militants’ attack on southern Israel. The war that left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused wide destruction ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that left dozens of civilians and Hezbollah members dead.

On Tuesday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said that at least 71 civilians, including 14 women and nine children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect.