Egypt has reportedly warned Iran not to target Israelis on its territory, demanding to be kept out of the Islamic Republic’s shadow war with Israel.
Citing unnamed sources, London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed said on Wednesday that Egyptian security officials warned Iran not to operate on Egyptian soil during recent meetings among intelligence officials.
According to the Qatar-backed media outlet, Egyptian officials warned Iranian counterparts that any attempt to carry out attacks against Israelis in the country would harm ties between Cairo and Tehran.
“Egyptian officials informed their Iranian counterparts that Egypt will not accept the its security reputation to be tied to the ongoing conflict between Tel Aviv and Tehran,” which has flared up following a series of killings of scientists and elements of the Revolutionary Guards as well as several cyberattacks by both sides.
The sources said that “the Iranian side assured Egyptian officials that Iran is keen not to harm the state of peace with Egypt” and that “Israeli allegations about attempts to target Israeli tourists in third countries is a lie,” despite reports that Turkey and Israel recently thwarted attempts to target Israeli civilians in Turkish territory.
“The Egyptian warning to Tehran came after leaks obtained by Cairo from the Israeli side, claiming that Egypt and the UAE are the new likely countries where Iran seeks to target Israelis,” following the failure in Turkey, “which prompted the Iranians to think of alternatives to restore their credibility," Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported.