Egypt invites Israel army, intelligence chiefs for urgent talks after fall of Assad

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for a brief visit at Egypt’s invitation. The meeting follows significant developments in Syria, particularly the recent upheaval surrounding the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and Israel’s incursion into the demilitarised zone there.

Egyptian officials are reportedly concerned about the accelerating developments in Syria, as Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, Halevi and Bar are likely to make similar visits to other Arab capitals, “especially in the Gulf states” that “have begun to feel aftershocks” following the “Syria earthquake”.

The paper added that a state of fear prevails in Arab countries that some groups might attempt to revive their revolutions, which could spread to a new Muslim Brotherhood uprising in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and even Egypt.

Israeli circles also expect other Arab countries to witness “preventive operations” carried out by police and intelligence agencies against activists in various groups, including extremist Islamic groups, “with the aim of preventing the Syria scenario from happening on their territory, while Israel fears the events in Syria will encourage parties in the occupied West Bank to rise up.

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