00:00Amid tensions in the Middle East region, Egypt this week conducted live-fire military exercises
00:06in close proximity to its border with Israel.
00:09The Badr 2026 tactical manoeuvres in the Sinai Peninsula featured army units, special forces,
00:16fighter jets and tanks.
00:18Egypt's Minister of Defense Ashraf Salim Zaheer oversaw the main phase of the drill,
00:22which he says forms part of ongoing efforts to sustain combat readiness and operational efficiency.
00:28He said amid regional challenges, such exercises send a message of reassurance
00:34about the military's constant readiness to defend Egypt in all strategic directions.
00:39The drills were coordinated with Israel within the terms of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty,
00:45which divides the Sinai into zones with strict limits on military deployments.
00:50But they were portrayed in some Israeli media as part of a wider and more troubling agenda on the part
00:55of Egypt,
00:56with some people concerned about their proximity to the border.
00:59The two countries have maintained what some observers describe as
01:03a cold peace since their 1979 treaty.
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