CENTCOM Commander Meets Senior Military Officials in Egypt Amid Intensified Houthi Attacks

The commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has discussed security concerns related to the Gaza war and the Red Sea during a visit to Egypt with senior military officials in Cairo. According to a CENTCOM statement, General Michael Eric Kurilla met with Lieutenant General Abdel-Majid Saqr, the new Minister of Defense, and Lieutenant General Ahmed Fathi Khalifa, the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces during his two-day trip last week. The statement indicated that General Kurilla emphasized CENTCOM's commitment to close cooperation with Egypt to address regional challenges and strengthen security, based on the strong U.S.-Egypt relations that have been ongoing for 45 years. As the Gaza war continues and recent destabilizing movements escalate, the CENTCOM statement added that the commander stressed the need to restore security in the region. Michael Kurilla also spoke with Admiral Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, discussing the economic impacts of Houthi attacks on international shipping in this waterway. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group has continued to attack commercial vessels belonging to foreign companies and governments operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the past nine months. The Houthi maritime attacks have reduced Egypt's revenue from the Suez Canal by a quarter. The Houthis, claiming to 'support the Palestinians' while the Israeli military is engaged in conflict with the extremist group Hamas in Gaza, initially began targeting commercial vessels based on their alleged connections to Israel, but over the past months have effectively targeted many commercial ships with no ties to Israel. The extremist group Hamas, allied with the Houthis and Tehran in the so-called 'Resistance' axis, is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union. Admiral Rabie announced last week that Egypt's revenue from the strategic Suez Canal has decreased by a quarter due to Houthi attacks on vessels. The Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, is a key source of foreign currency for Egypt, second only to tourism. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, Egypt deposited $7.2 billion in revenue from the passage of commercial vessels through the Suez Canal, which is $2.2 billion less than the same period last year. CENTCOM plays a central role in countering Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Egypt and its leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was previously the head of the army, are U.S. allies. It is unclear whether the meeting between the head of the Suez Canal Authority and the CENTCOM commander led to any specific agreement on countering the escalation of Houthi attacks. A Houthi spokesperson reported an attack on an 'American ship' in the Red Sea on Saturday night, marking the latest such attack in the past nine months. CENTCOM reported hours later the destruction of a drone in the Red Sea that posed an 'imminent threat' to coalition forces and commercial vessels in the region.