CAIRO (Middle East Eye) – The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has informed Congress that it has approved a potential sale of $691mn worth of anti-tank missiles and other equipment to Egypt.
The sale, if completed, would include 5,070 TOW 2A anti-tank missiles, tools, equipment and training services.
The weapons would help Egypt replenish its existing stockpiles of armaments and be used for counter-terrorism operations and border security operations, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defence.
Egypt has been engaged in a years-long campaign against militants in the Sinai peninsula. Earlier this month, the Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 11 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai.
A country of more than 100 million straddling the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt is a strategic U.S. ally in the region and home to the Suez Canal, the vital shipping artery through which 12 percent of world trade passes.
It receives about $1.3bn in U.S. military aid annually, the second-highest after the Zionist regime.
However, ties between the two allies have come under strain over the Biden administration’s critique of human rights issues in the country.
Last year, the administration withheld $130m in military assistance to Egypt, citing human rights issues. That decision was criticized by some U.S. lawmakers who said it didn’t go far enough.
In recent years, Egypt has also diversified its suppliers of armaments, striking deals with France and Russia. Between 2017 and 2021, Moscow was the single largest provider of arms to the country, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi looked to hedge against reliance on the U.S.