Egyptian Chief of Staff Praises Role of Army in Restoring Security in Sinai

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)
The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)
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Egyptian Chief of Staff Praises Role of Army in Restoring Security in Sinai

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)
The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, during the Bashir 22 project (Military spokesman)

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, praised the role of the armed forces in restoring stability and security in Sinai.

Askar relayed the “greetings and appreciation” of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki for the “heroic role” the forces have manifested in North Sinai.

The Chief of Staff spoke at the training project (Bashir 22), which is being conducted by armored units of the Second Field Army. It comes within the framework of the annual combat training plan for units of the armed forces.

A military statement noted that Askar discussed the procedures with the commanders and officers to ensure they fully understood and implemented all the tasks assigned to them with high professionalism.

Terrorist attacks of militants affiliated with ISIS decreased in North Sinai after years of persistent army operations.

Al-Sisi has repeatedly declared that cleansing the country of terrorism, and the “development of Sinai, come as top priority for the political leadership.”

The government is setting very ambitious plans for projects in North Sinai.

In 2019, Sisi said the investment of the projects in Sinai is estimated at EGP800 billion.

Egypt hopes the development of Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez and the governorates of North and South Sinai will create an integrated economic cluster and help the region become an attractive location for investment.



Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
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Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)

The Lebanese army defused on Sunday tensions in the northern city of Tripoli sparked by the clashes along the Syrian coast.

The army deployed in areas separating Sunni and Alawite neighborhoods in Tripoli overnight on Friday to contain any tensions from the violence in neighboring Syria.

Angry protesters had taken to the streets of Tripoli after news broke out over the stabbing of a minor from Syria’s Idlib. Lebanon’s National News Agency later reported that the minor was actually from Lebanon.

Soon after, news circulated on social media that Ahmed Bitar, a man from the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli, was behind the attack.

The protesters blocked the Baqqar road leading to Jabal Mohsen, while tensions were high in the Qobbeh neighborhood, as the people called for the arrest of the perpetrator.

The tensions boiled over into a gunfight, sparking panic among the people. The army soon deployed heavily in the area and restored calm.

The Supreme Alawite Council warned in a statement that “civil peace and security stability were a red line.” It revealed that Bitar had complied with calls to turn himself over to the authorities.

“We fully trust that the security forces will carry out their duties to reveal the circumstances of the crime and uncover the truth,” it said.

“Tripoli has been and will continue to be a model of national unity that will shun strife,” it added.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tensions in Tripoli were stoked by social media posts. No foreign meddling or political incitement were behind them.

The army moved quickly to contain the tensions, deploying heavily in Tripoli. Sunni and Alawite figures in the city were contacted to help defuse the tensions and prevent the unrest in Syria from spilling over into Lebanon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian Alawites sought refuge in northern Lebanon to escape the violence along the coast.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrians were entering through illegal crossings and heading to predominantly Alawite villages or Jabal Mohsen.

No exact figures have been tallied because the people are entering through illegal crossings, they added.

Media reports and local sources have said over 10,000 people have entered from Syria in the past three days.