Israel lowers threat level in Sinai resorts

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) yesterday lowered the threat level for parts of the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, including the beach resorts in the city of Sharm El Sheikh, by two degrees, for the first time in 15 years, local media reported.

The council said in a statement that the terror threat level has been lowered from level 1 to 3.

The announcement came after the meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel earlier in the day.

Commenting on the NSC announcement, the Israeli Ambassador to Cairo, Amira Oron, said the commendable step will contribute to developing and strengthening relations between the two countries in general and in the field of tourism in particular.

“I thank the two leaders, Bennett and [Egyptian President] Al-Sisi, for their commitment to peace and for pushing bilateral relations forward in a way that revives the economy,” she wrote on Twitter.

The head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, yesterday visited Tel Aviv to discuss bilateral relations, the truce with Palestinian factions, as well as the Israeli security delegation’s visit to Sharm El Sheikh.

READ: Egypt’s air strikes on Sinai good timing for $1.3bn US military aid package