Is this the start of Arab NATO plan?
The Arab Nato plan promoted by US President Donald Trump to counter Iranian influence is being recurrently heard among the political quarters of the countries participating in the Arab Shield 1 drills in Egypt.
CAIRO — Col. Tamer Rifai, spokesman of the Egyptian armed forces, announced in an official statement Nov. 7 that Lt. Gen. Mohamed Farid Hegazy, chief of staff of the armed forces, attended the Arab Shield 1 military exercises, which started Nov. 3 and will last until Nov. 16. The drills are held at Mohamed Naguib military base in Matrouh, on the Mediterranean coast west of Alexandria.
Rifai also followed up on the different stages of the exercises and watched live shooting drills carried out by all participating forces.
On Oct. 31, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense had noted in a statement that land, naval and air forces, special forces and air defense forces from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan arrived in Egypt to take part in the military exercises alongside Egyptian troops. Lebanon and Morocco have joined the exercises as observers.
The statement said that the military exercises aim to “face common challenges and support efforts for security and stability in the region.”
