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Egypt to Give President Extensive Powers during Coronavirus Outbreak

People wearing protective face masks, amid concerns over the coronavirus, shop traditional Ramadan products at Al Khayamia street in old Cairo, Egypt April 16, 2020. (Reuters)
People wearing protective face masks, amid concerns over the coronavirus, shop traditional Ramadan products at Al Khayamia street in old Cairo, Egypt April 16, 2020. (Reuters)
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Egypt to Give President Extensive Powers during Coronavirus Outbreak

People wearing protective face masks, amid concerns over the coronavirus, shop traditional Ramadan products at Al Khayamia street in old Cairo, Egypt April 16, 2020. (Reuters)
People wearing protective face masks, amid concerns over the coronavirus, shop traditional Ramadan products at Al Khayamia street in old Cairo, Egypt April 16, 2020. (Reuters)

Egypt is seeking to grant President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi extensive powers in line with the emergency law in order to confront the “emerging reality” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authorities had imposed a nationwide state of emergency after two terrorist attacks targeted two churches in April 2017. Since then, exceptional measures have been announced and extended every three months, at six month intervals to avoid violating the constitution.

The government proposal, approved by the Legislative Affairs Committee, focused mainly on health emergencies, and enables the Military Prosecution to assist the Public Prosecution in investigating crimes that violate the extraordinary measures.

Egypt extended the state of emergency last January, and it is scheduled to end on April 27.

The proposed amendments allow the president to suspend the school and university year or any educational institution. It also allows shutting down certain ministries and authorities entirely or partially and postponing the payment of water, electricity and gas bills entirely or partially.

The new proposals also force Egyptian expatriates returning home from abroad to undergo necessary health checks after several of them refused last month to comply with quarantine measures.

The proposals also include giving the president the right to allocate cash and assistance to individuals and families, offer financial support to medical research, provide financial and support to damaged economic sectors, postpone the payment of certain taxes, and turn schools and youth centers into field hospitals.

For the third consecutive day, Egypt registered a daily record in virus cases as the Ministry of Health reported 188 new infections and 19 deaths, while 55 patients were discharged from isolation hospital rooms.

The figures raise Egypt’s infections to 3,032, with 701 recoveries and 224 deaths.

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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.