Sisi: Egypt Succeeded in Maintaining Regional Strategic Balance

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
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Sisi: Egypt Succeeded in Maintaining Regional Strategic Balance

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi praised the pivotal role being played by the Egyptian armed forces in maintaining security, stability and strategic balance in the Middle East region.

This came during his meeting Wednesday with Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohamed Zaki, and Commander of the Egyptian Air Force Abbas Helmy.

Sisi called for maintaining the highest levels of readiness “to protect the country's national security in light of the great challenges facing the region," Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said.

The president was briefed on several issues related to the activities and preparedness of the armed forces' main branches, particularly the Air Force.

According to Rady, Sisi also reviewed the results of recent joint military exercises with a number of units.

In a related context, Egypt’s Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Mohamed Farid and several chiefs of staff on Arab countries’ armed forces attended the main stage of a joint military drill dubbed "Saif Al Arab," - "Sword of Arabs".

The participating countries include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Sudan.

This phase showed the accuracy of hitting fixed and moving targets, and the high maneuver capability of the forces through joint work.



Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful.”

In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza, where there is almost no electricity.

"We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians," the text said, according to Reuters.
"We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit."

The pope, 88, was present for the address but asked an aide to read it for him as he is recovering from a cold.

The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys from some 184 countries that is sometimes called the pope's 'state of the world' speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was among those present for the event.

Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts.
But he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas, and has suggested
the global community should study whether the offensive constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
An Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff in December for that suggestion.

The pope's text said he condemns anti-Semitism, and called the growth of anti-Semitic groups "a source of deep concern."
Francis also called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has killed tens of thousands.