عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egypt: Pilot Killed in Sinai Warplane Crash

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, (File photo: Reuters)
Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, (File photo: Reuters)
TT
TT

Egypt: Pilot Killed in Sinai Warplane Crash

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, (File photo: Reuters)
Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, (File photo: Reuters)

An Egyptian fighter jet crashed during military drills in Sinai province on Wednesday, killing its pilot, announced army spokesman Colonel Tamer al-Rifai.

Rifai said that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident had been launched.

“During training exercises conducted by the Egyptian Air Force on 14/1/2020, a military aircraft went down, resulting in the death of its pilot,” Rifai said in a statement, adding: “We are now working to uncover what caused the crash.”

He didn’t give further details.

Earlier, Egypt’s Armed Forces launched military exercises “Qader 2020” in strategic positions nationwide to increase the army’s readiness to protect the country amid recent regional developments, including the armed conflict in Libya.

The spokesman said that elements of the Second and Third Field Armies and the Central and Southern Regions have carried out a number of combat activities in cooperation with all the main branches and the general command of the armed forces.

The drills began last Friday, days after Turkey announced the deployment of forces in Libya to support Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) against Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

According to the statement, Tuesday’s activities included elements of the Second Field Army that executed a number of raids on terrorist outposts in North Sinai. They also trained in enhancing security measures in tunnels, crossings, and ferries.

Furthermore, drills focused on ensuring security measures for navigation along the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean coast, in cooperation with Air and Naval Forces.

Elements of the Third Field Army also carried out a number of drills in raiding terrorist outposts in Central Sinai, while continuing to secure navigation at the Suez Canal, in cooperation with the Air and Naval Forces.

They also trained on securing vital targets and tourist destinations in Central and Southern Sinai.

The training included elements from the Central Military Region, which carried out drills to assist Field Armies and military areas, while elements of the Southern Military Region raised the levels of readiness by securing the Southern border with Sudan and Libya and carrying out many activities within the Region.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
TT
TT

Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.
Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.
Going into the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HT.
“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.
Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the US, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian opposition leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.
Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of insurgents.