Israeli media reports say the United States is seeking clarification regarding expanding military and security contacts between Egypt and Turkey amid concerns that closer cooperation between the two regional powers could reshape strategic dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, US officials have recently observed a significant increase in the frequency and level of military coordination between Cairo and Ankara, prompting Washington to seek additional information about the nature of the discussions.
The newspaper reported that the US State Department asked diplomatic staff in both Egypt and Turkey to provide assessments of recent contacts between senior officials in the two countries’ defence establishments.
According to the report, US intelligence assessments have noted increased cooperation on military and security issues, raising questions in Washington about whether the two countries are moving towards broader defence or security agreements.
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Maariv also reported that Israel has been encouraging the United States to gather information about the growing security relationship between Cairo and Ankara and is seeking additional details through its own channels.
According to the newspaper, concerns have also been raised by other regional actors, including Greece and Cyprus, which closely monitor security developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The report cited unnamed sources as saying that some governments view the recent increase in Egyptian-Turkish military contacts as unusual in both scale and frequency.
Neither Egypt nor Turkey has publicly commented on the claims contained in the report.
Relations between Cairo and Ankara have improved significantly in recent years following a decade of political tensions, with both countries restoring diplomatic ties and expanding cooperation across a range of economic, political and regional issues.
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