Egyptian Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi said Monday that Egypt will "break the legs" of those who threaten it, al-ahram reported, in an apparent reference to Israel.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman recently stated that Israel must take action to neutralize a threat emanating from the Sinai.
In
a speech to Egyptian troops in the Sinai, Tantawi said that the
Egyptian border is always in danger. "we never attack neighboring
countries and only protect our own borders," he said. "We will break the
legs of anyone who dares to come near to the borders. That’s why our
troops should always be ready."
Tantawi stated that the Egyptian
armed forces is not a political entity. "We do not interfere in
politics," he said, "we are not politicians. We belong to the people who
trust us and stand behind us... Egypt is the responsibility of the
armed forces."
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Liberman posted on his
Twitter account a link to a Ma’ariv story quoting him as telling Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in a recent meeting that the situation in
Egypt was more disconcerting for Israel than the situation with Iran.
According
to the report that appeared Sunday, Liberman said that in light of the
developments in Egypt – which include the introduction of Egyptian
forces into Sinai to try to regain control there – the IDF needed to
rebuild and significantly increase the southern command.
Liberman
said that the Egyptian forces, which Israel agreed Cairo could move
into Sinai, have proven ineffective in fighting terrorism there.
The
foreign minister was quoted as saying that it was conceivable that
following the presidential elections in Egypt, Cairo would in a
significant way renege on the peace agreement and move a considerable
number of troops into Sinai.