Posted on 10/27/2024 10:02:25 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi reportedly replaced his trusted spy chief on Wednesday who has played a key role in hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Abbas Kamel was considered the second-most powerful person in Egypt for years and during his tenure, built strong relationships with officials in US and Israeli intelligence, as well as leaders of the Hamas terror group.
Kamel will now serve as a special advisor to Sissi and coordinator of the security services, but the WSJ noted that it was unclear whether the reassignment was a promotion or demotion amid ongoing failure to reach another deal between Israel and Hamas since November...
Kamel was replaced with his deputy, Hassan Rashad who, according to the WSJ, oversaw key issues in Egyptian intelligence, including the country's relationship with Iran, which has been fraught at times over the years.
He was announced as the new intelligence chief shortly before Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Cairo for the first official visit by an Iranian foreign minister in almost 12 years...
Araghchi's seventh stop on a tour of the Middle East where he has spoken with officials in Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman... He is expected to head to Turkey after his visit to Egypt, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has said.
...38 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September. Meanwhile, Israel has killed at least 966 Hezbollah terrorists in the last year, but the number is likely higher as the group has not been consistently updating its death toll since Israel began the ground operation.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...
Selections from the Rafah keyword, sorted:
Not sure if this is relevant, but it’s something I’m thinking about.
I support Israel, BUT... The long term and bigger picture damage done in having many of our allies drift away from us and even Israel is horrible.
Nations like Saudi Arabia and Egypt were working with Israel on many security issues. Even in Jordan there is massive internal pressure (they have a vast Palestinian population).
This crisis if it already hasn’t, has the potential to throw us backward many decades regards true long term peace and stability in that region.
I hope Israel balances the long term political (losing its security partners and friendly neighbors) with their short term military objectives.
Concern trolling started right away. The more virulent hatred kinds of things should arrive soon.
Don't be absurd. The war against Israel resumed because Israel's neighbor Egypt has a prez whose son ran the entire smuggling operation along the Gaza border, and the arms through Egypt came from Iran.
He will not relent until all of the hostages are accounted for and returned which will be on the 7th of Never or until Trump takes office and brokers a real cease fire.
And Trump is not a happy camper that Hamas is holding American hostages and has cold bloodedly executed at least one.
Truth is that many of the hostages are unfortunately no longer alive and many are unaccounted for .
More than a few have probably been exfiltrated out of Gaza via the Rafah tunnels and are being held in Egypt or some other Arab country.
Now that the Rafah tunnels are shut down there is no way to get them back into Gaza and these countries are going to be willing to confess that they have been holding Israeli hostages either.
At the same time, it is taking less and less resources for the IDF to operate in Gaza. Hamas is dead as an effective military or even terrorist, force and the IDF has reduced it's footprint in Gaza to easily supportable levels.
All that is keeping Hamas going is an irrational, burning hatred of the Jews, but the vid of a defeated and horribly wounded Sinwar feebly throwing a stick at an IDF drone is metaphor for the current state of Hamas and it's terrorists.
Hamas can defiantly shake their fists at Israel in the rubble they have created in Gaza but they can't do much and else and the IDF can bring the rubble down on them with impunity at the IDF's leisure.
Hard to believe it, but Netanyhau may just deliver on his promise to eradicate Hamas.
The deadmed and medred keywords, sorted:
Love your accurate summary.
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