Following a "surprise visit" by Egyptian Chief of Staff General Khalifa to the Philadelphi Corridor last Thursday, Egypt is taking another step that could heighten tensions with Israel and potentially signal a troubling direction for the coming years.
According to a report on the 'Mako' website, Egypt has finalized a deal with China to purchase Chengdu J-10C fighter jets to replace its existing fleet of American F-16s. This decision follows Egypt’s choice to reject upgrade or replacement proposals from both the U.S. and Russia for its fighter aircraft.
On the surface, this move might seem like a routine decision for a country to refresh its aircraft fleet from a different source. However, given the context of Israel-Egypt relations, especially after Israel's revelations regarding the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, every such action carries significant implications with potentially critical consequences.
In Israel, there is concern that Egypt’s choice of Chinese jets to replace American ones might be seen as a shift towards the axis that includes China, Russia, and even Iran, at the expense of aligning with the more moderate axis led by the U.S.