Egypt puts military on high alert and tests air defence systems amid rising regional tensions

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Egypt has put its armed forces on high alert and carried out nationwide drills of its air defence systems as fears grow of a broader Iran-Israel conflict, sources told The National.

Egypt's top government officials are meanwhile holding emergency meetings to decide on measures to ensure that the import-dependent nation of 106 million maintains adequate reserves of food, fuel and other essential commodities.

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The goal, said the sources, is to mitigate the impact of potential disruptions to global supply chains triggered by escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Already, Egypt's pound weakened and its stock market recorded its biggest plunge in five years on Sunday on fears of a broader conflict.

Egypt shares a border with Israel along the eastern edge of its Sinai peninsula. The most populous Arab nation has, on several occasions since the Gaza war erupted in 2023, seen projectiles fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen veering off course and landing on Egyptian territory. These incidents caused material damage but no fatalities.

The sources said that while the Egyptian military's combat units have been put on high alert nationwide, those deployed in the Sinai Peninsula were ordered to go on maximum alert.

The orders went out shortly after Israel's latest round of hostilities with Iran began on Friday, when Israel's first wave of strikes killed senior Iranian military leaders and damaged nuclear and military infrastructure.

Iran has responded with barrages of missiles and drones fired on Israel, killing and injuring scores, as both adversaries vowed more attacks.

The sources said the testing of Egypt's air defence systems involved nearly all of the nation's 27 provinces.

"The exercise was designed to see if there are any gaps in the nationwide coverage by the air defences," said one source. The source did not say what exactly was involved in the drills.

The higher state of alert and the air defence drills come at a time when Cairo's relations with Israel are at their lowest point because of the Gaza war, now in its 21st month, while relations with Iran are rapidly improving.

Relations worsened significantly in May 2024 when Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing and a narrow buffer zone running the length of the Gaza-Egypt frontier.

As relations with Israel steadily worsened, those between Cairo and Tehran rapidly improved, with the two nations regularly consulting on regional issues as they work towards improving relations, including allowing millions of Iranian pilgrims to visit religious shrines in Egypt.

In a vastly significant, albeit symbolic gesture, Egypt's Al Azhar has issued a statement strongly condemning Israel for attacking Iran.

"This aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of state sovereignty and infringement of international law, as well as a direct threat to regional and international peace and security," Al Azhar said on Saturday night.

Egypt is closely monitoring the potential consequences of further escalation, according to the sources, particularly the risk of Iran retaliating by closing the Strait of Hormuz or Bab Al-Mandab – both critical maritime chokepoints.

The closure of either would effectively block access to the Suez Canal, a vital source of foreign currency for cash-strapped Egypt, and threaten the country’s fuel supplies and other oil-based imports.

A government statement said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has discussed ways to increase the nation's "strategic reserves" of a range of goods with central bank governor Hassan Abdullah and Finance Minister Ahmed Kajouk.

Mr Madbouly held a separate meeting on Friday night with the ministers of oil and electricity to discuss the "ramifications of the military events in the region", the statement said, without providing further detail.

Israel has already suspended natural gas exports to Egypt due to the tenuous security situation arising from its conflict with Iran. The move could disrupt power generation in Egypt, where gas-fuelled stations supply much of the country’s electricity. With summer temperatures already climbing, Egypt is bracing for a surge in energy demand.

Rolling power cuts as recently as 2023 produced a popular backlash in Egypt, including a level of potentially disruptive popular discontent not seen since President Abdel Fattah El Sisi took office in 2014.

Egypt's atomic agency has sought to reassure Egyptians on the possibility of radiation leaks from Iranian nuclear facilities damaged by Israeli air strikes.

"There are no indications of a change or a rise in radiation levels," it said in a statement on Saturday night. "We are monitoring round-the-clock the developments related to the situation at nuclear facilities in the region."

Surrounded by regional crises

Egypt has for years faced challenges from regional conflicts: Libya’s civil war since 2011; Sudan’s collapse into fighting in April 2023, which has sent 1.5 million refugees across Egypt’s southern border; and the continuing war in Gaza.

Now, Egypt must prepare for handling a possible fallout from the tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, all while facing a sensitive domestic situation.

Authorities are trying to prevent hundreds of foreign pro-Palestinian activists from marching towards Rafah, on the Gaza border, in a show of solidarity with Palestinians.

The government has stated that such actions require prior official authorisation. Security officials said around 200 activists have already been detained and deported upon arrival at Cairo airport.

Nearly 280 activists have been detained just outside the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, where a standoff continued over the weekend between riot police and scores of activists prevented from proceeding east towards Rafah.

Those had been put on buses and taken to Cairo airport from which they were being deported, according to the officials.

An estimated 2,000 activists are believed to have come to Egypt to participate in the 50km march from the city of El Arish in northern Sinai to Rafah, they said.