Sisi Discusses with Head of French Intelligence Deteriorating Situation in Middle East

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi during his meeting with French Foreign Intelligence Chief Bernard Emie on Monday in Cairo. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi during his meeting with French Foreign Intelligence Chief Bernard Emie on Monday in Cairo. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Sisi Discusses with Head of French Intelligence Deteriorating Situation in Middle East

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi during his meeting with French Foreign Intelligence Chief Bernard Emie on Monday in Cairo. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi during his meeting with French Foreign Intelligence Chief Bernard Emie on Monday in Cairo. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi met in Cairo on Monday with French Foreign Intelligence Chief Bernard Emie, in the presence of Acting General Intelligence Chief Major General Abbas Kamel.

In a statement issued by Egypt’s presidency, Spokesman Bassam Radi said that the two officials discussed the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and means to boost international efforts to combat terrorism and extremism.

He also said that Sisi extended his greetings to French President Emmanuel Macron, while stressing the “exclusiveness, depth and strength of relations” with France.

Sisi also underlined his country’s keenness to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields, according to Radi.

Emie, for his part, emphasized France’s commitment to continued coordination and consultation with the Egyptian side over different challenges faced by the two countries, especially regional matters.

He also praised Egypt’s pivotal role in strengthening security and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said that France was considering re-launching an initiative to hold an international peace conference for the Middle East to end the stalemate in the Palestinian file, in wake of the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to deal with the United States as a neutral mediator for the establishment of a two-state solution.

On a different note, Cairo received an official invitation from Moscow to attend the Sochi conference on Syria, which is scheduled to be held in Russia at the end of this month, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

He underlined Egypt’s support for the ongoing negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva, which are based on Resolution 2254, while welcoming any other initiatives on the table as long as they seek to strengthen the same peace process.



Netanyahu Aide Faces Indictment over Gaza Leak

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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Netanyahu Aide Faces Indictment over Gaza Leak

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces indictment on security charges pending a hearing, Israel's attorney general has said, for allegedly leaking top secret military information during Israel's war in Gaza.

Netanyahu's close adviser, Jonatan Urich, has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which legal authorities began investigating in late 2024.

Netanyahu has described probes against Urich and other aides as politically motivated and on Monday said that Urich had not harmed state security. Urich's attorneys said the charges were baseless and that their client's innocence would be proven beyond doubt, reported Reuters.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said in a statement late on Sunday that Urich and another aide had extracted secret information from the Israeli military and leaked it to German newspaper Bild.

Their intent, she said, was to shape public opinion of Netanyahu and influence the discourse about the slaying of six Israeli hostages by their Palestinian captors in Gaza in late August 2024.

The hostages' deaths sparked mass protests in Israel and outraged hostages' families, who accused Netanyahu of torpedoing ceasefire talks that had faltered in the preceding weeks for political reasons.

Netanyahu vehemently denies this. He has repeatedly said that Hamas was to blame for the talks collapsing, while the group has said it was Israel's fault no deal had been reached.

Four of the six slain hostages had been on the list of more than 30 captives that Hamas was set to free if a ceasefire had been reached, according to a defense official at the time.

The Bild article in question was published days after the hostages were found executed in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza. It outlined Hamas' negotiation strategy in the indirect ceasefire talks and largely corresponded with Netanyahu's allegations against the militant group over the deadlock.

Bild said after the investigation was announced that it does not comment on its sources and that its article relied on authentic documents. The newspaper did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

A two-month ceasefire was reached in January this year and included the release of 38 hostages before Israel resumed attacks in Gaza. The sides are presently engaged in indirect negotiations in Doha, aimed at reaching another truce.

In his statement on Monday, Netanyahu said Baharav-Miara's announcement was "appalling" and that its timing raised serious questions.

Netanyahu's government has for months been seeking the dismissal of Baharav-Miara. The attorney general, appointed by the previous government, has sparred with Netanyahu's cabinet over the legality of some of its policies.