Egypt orders Israeli pilots to leave territories after visa denial

Egypt has ordered eleven Israeli pilots to leave its territory after they landed on Wednesday without first obtaining visas, Anadolu has reported.

According to Israel’s Maariv, the Israelis received permission to land in Egypt but were asked to leave when the lack of visas was discovered. The Egyptian authorities cited “national security reasons”.

According to the newspaper, though, the pilots are out of fuel and are not being allowed to refuel. Moreover, the weather was too stormy for them to take off.

“We received a request and we are trying to help with the authorities,” Maariv quoted an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson as saying. “From our inspection, the Israelis did receive permission to land the planes but did not receive visas for their entry into the country.”

The Israeli newspaper described the incident as “unusual”. The Egyptian authorities had not issued any comment at the time of writing, said Anadolu.

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