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Sisi Says Confident Egypt will Overcome Coronavirus Crisis

An Egyptian citizen watches the speech of Egypt's PM Mostafa Madbouly, at an empty coffee shop, following the government instructions to slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease in Cairo, Egypt (file photo: Reuters
An Egyptian citizen watches the speech of Egypt's PM Mostafa Madbouly, at an empty coffee shop, following the government instructions to slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease in Cairo, Egypt (file photo: Reuters
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Sisi Says Confident Egypt will Overcome Coronavirus Crisis

An Egyptian citizen watches the speech of Egypt's PM Mostafa Madbouly, at an empty coffee shop, following the government instructions to slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease in Cairo, Egypt (file photo: Reuters
An Egyptian citizen watches the speech of Egypt's PM Mostafa Madbouly, at an empty coffee shop, following the government instructions to slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease in Cairo, Egypt (file photo: Reuters

President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi said Egypt and its people will overcome the coronavirus and emerge successful from this challenge.

Speaking on the sidelines of his tour to the armed forces to check over preparations to confront the pandemic, Sisi said the authorities' strategy on facing COVID-19 was to avoid creating panic among the people, especially with the flow of information about injuries and anxiety concerning deaths rates.

He Sisi asserted that this shouldn’t mean ignoring the risks and reiterated that Egyptians must be careful and exert all efforts to fight this pandemic.

Sisi and top officials and military personnel were seen wearing masks in public for the first time, sending a message on the importance of preventive measures.

“We don’t want to have to take harsher measures because we don’t want life to come to a complete halt,” said Sisi.

He said that number of cases and deaths would have been less, had the country been more committed during the lockdown for two weeks since mid-March.

Sisi reassured that medical and logistical preparations to confront the virus are completed, and directed specialized agencies to distribute masks, even if for free.

“If needed, we will distribute masks at half the cost or entirely free of charge.”

Sisi asserted that there is a stock of commodities that could last for at least 3 months, in addition to other precautions to meet the unexpected circumstances, stressing that the government is committed to transparency in light of the coronavirus crisis.

He called on the private sector to take responsibility and take all measures to help its employees, announcing that the government is paying full salaries.

Ministry of Health announced 149 new cases, bringing the total number to 1,322, including 259 cured and released from isolation and 85 deaths as of Monday evening.

The Egyptian armed forces announced that 22 military hospitals were equipped with a capacity of 4,000 beds, as well as four field hospitals with a capacity of 502 isolation beds. It also indicated that they produce 100,000 protective masks daily, with a reserve of 5 million units, in addition to a thousand protective suits, with a target to produce 50,000.

In turn, Ministry of Manpower and Immigration announced it will begin giving about EGY500 to each worker recently registered in the ministry's data.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Endowments announced it was suspending all group activities during Ramadan, including food tables set in the vicinity of mosques, as well as setting up any public gatherings in any of the directorates in the holy month.

The Ministry indicated that mosques will not be open unless there were no new cases recorded.

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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)

The Israeli military has announced the formation of a special rapid response unit in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to fend off threats from Syria, when necessary.

Commander of the 210th Bashan Division Lieutenant Colonel Yair Palai said the unit would operate as an effective attack force capable to launch in seconds and prevent threats on Israel similar to the one Hamas launched on October 7, 2023.

“The Unit will be prepared 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of events,” he said.

“In the case of any security incident, the Unit will strike the enemy mercilessly. There is no possibility of failure, because this unit depends on constant vigilance,” Palai said.

The unit, which is comprised of elite soldiers from reconnaissance units and special reserve units, will operate under the 210th Division.

Sources said the unit has fully mobilized and operated continuously over the past three months.

Its goal was initially to counter Iranian, Syrian, Yemeni, Iraqi or other militias that might operate from the Golan against Jewish settlements there.

But recent developments in Syria compelled the army to prepare for any additional threats.

Last week, Syrian army soldiers were killed in a major attack by opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, who swept into the city of Aleppo in the northwest, forcing the military to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar Assad in years.

On Tuesday, Haaretz said the Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian opposition assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

If such weapons fall into the hands of the opposition fighters or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz.

The report said that after the country's civil war, Assad tried to rebuild his chemical weapons production facilities, with most having been removed from Syria under an international agreement. But a substantial part of the chemical weapons project, particularly the knowledge accumulated over the years, still remains in Assad's hands.

Haaretz wrote that Israel has relayed messages to the Syrian regime via the Russians insisting that Assad assert his sovereignty and bar Iran from operating from within Syria.

“The army is monitoring with concern the surprise Syrian rebel offensive on Assad strongholds in Syria that began last week,” it said.

Also, intelligence officials believe that while the Syrian president's standing has been weakened, Iran, with Russia's support, is exploiting the chaos in order to send in tens of thousands of fighters from the armed militias that support it.

According to Haaretz, the army's current estimate is that there are 40,000 Iranian militia fighters in Syria.

In tandem with the ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been carrying out strikes almost daily on the border between Syria and Lebanon in order to thwart attempts to smuggle weaponry destined for Hezbollah.

Although to date there is no firm evidence that the Iranian forces plan to station themselves in Damascus, the newspaper said one Israeli diplomatic official involved in the discussions referred to this on Sunday as a known fact. “Iran has begun to send an influx of forces into Syria in an attempt to aid Assad and suppress the revolt,” he said.