Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Egypt's military capabilities are growing and must be closely monitored, while also saying he is unsure what final decision US President Donald Trump will take regarding Iran, according to Israeli media.
The daily Israel Hayom reported that Netanyahu raised concerns about Egypt's expanding military strength during a closed-door meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on Thursday.
"The Egyptian army is building its strength, and this needs to be monitored," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.
"We have relations with Egypt, but we must prevent an excessive buildup of military power."
The comments were made during discussions on the sensitivity of relations between Israel and Egypt, according to sources cited by the newspaper.
Despite the warning, Israel and Egypt signed a major gas agreement in December valued at about $35 billion.
Netanyahu announced at the time that his government had approved the deal, describing it as the largest in Israel's history.
Rising regional tensions
During the same committee meeting, Netanyahu also addressed Iran and Israel's coordination with the United States, Channel 12 reported.
According to the report, Netanyahu said coordination with Washington was at "the highest possible level" but acknowledged uncertainty over Trump's ultimate stance on Iran.
He told lawmakers that conditions were emerging for what he described as a critical phase that could potentially lead to the collapse of Iran's ruling system, though he said he did not know whether such a process would result in the overthrow of the government in Tehran.
Netanyahu also warned that Israel was prepared to carry out a "much larger and harsher" strike against Iran if attacked, saying any response would exceed the scale of strikes carried out last June.
Sworn enemies
Both arch-foes fought a 12-day war last year.
The conflict was triggered by an unprecedented Israeli attack against Iranian military and nuclear facilities as well as civilian areas.
The US joined the attacks by striking three Iranian nuclear sites, before a ceasefire initiated by Trump came into force.
In April 2024, on the sidelines of the Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel.
It was in retaliation for a deadly attack on Iran's Damascus consulate.
Months later on October 1, Iran fired a barrage of 200 missiles at Israel in response to the assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
