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Egypt’s Sisi Inaugurates ‘July 3’ Naval Base on Northwestern Coast

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (C) and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R), are seen in a car during the inauguration of the new “July 3” naval base, in Marsa Matruh Egypt, July 3, 2021 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. (Handout via Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (C) and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R), are seen in a car during the inauguration of the new “July 3” naval base, in Marsa Matruh Egypt, July 3, 2021 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. (Handout via Reuters)
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Egypt’s Sisi Inaugurates ‘July 3’ Naval Base on Northwestern Coast

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (C) and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R), are seen in a car during the inauguration of the new “July 3” naval base, in Marsa Matruh Egypt, July 3, 2021 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. (Handout via Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (C) and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R), are seen in a car during the inauguration of the new “July 3” naval base, in Marsa Matruh Egypt, July 3, 2021 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. (Handout via Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated a naval base on Saturday 135 km from the border with Libya, flanked by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Egypt says the July 3 base will help it protect strategic and economic interests as well as helping guard against irregular migration as it works to boost its naval presence on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

At the inauguration, two Mistral helicopter carriers acquired from France were on display alongside a German-made submarine and two recently delivered FREMM-class Italian frigates.

Naval forces performed exercises that included the firing of rockets, parachute jumps and an amphibious landing as Sisi and his guests looked on from the bridge of one of the Mistrals.

The July 3 base is spread over more than 10 sq km and has a 1,000-metre naval quay with a water depth of 14 meters. It also has quays for commercial shipping.

The eastern border has been a key security concern for Egypt as Libya slid into turmoil after 2011, though it has beefed up its presence in the area.

Mohammed al-Menfi, head of Libya’s three-man presidential council, attended the opening on Saturday.

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Arab World

Israeli Settlers Briefly Crossed into Lebanon, the Military Says

UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
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Israeli Settlers Briefly Crossed into Lebanon, the Military Says

UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)

A group of Israeli settlers have briefly crossed the border into Lebanon before they were removed by troops, the military acknowledged Wednesday.

The civilians who crossed the border came from the Uri Tzafon movement, a group calling for Israeli settlement of southern Lebanon. Photos posted by the group online Saturday showed a small group of activists holding signs and erecting tents inside Lebanon while Israeli soldiers were present.

After first denying the reports to Israeli media, the military said Wednesday that civilians had crossed the border “by a few meters” and were removed by troops.

The military called the border breach a “serious incident” and said it was investigating.

“Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination poses a life-threatening risk and interferes with the IDF’s ability to operate in the area and carry out its mission,” the military said, using the acronym for the Israel Defense Forces.

The settler group Uri Tzafon, which means “Awaken the North” in Hebrew, crossed the border in the area of the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras. In the past, the movement has said the area is home to an old Hebrew settlement.

Groups of settler activists also have breached the Gaza border more than once since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, at one point erecting small wooden tents before they were evacuated by troops. Daniela Weiss, the leader of the movement to resettle Gaza, claims she has entered Gaza twice since the start of the war.

Israel’s settler movement has been emboldened by its current government -- the furthest-right in Israeli history -- and is now seeking to expand to parts of southern Lebanon and the north of the Gaza.