Israel denies providing defence systems for Ethiopian dam

Sources within Israel’s military-industrial complex (MIC) have denied that Israeli-made air-defence systems have been installed to protect Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, i24news reported on Sunday. The denial follows reports about tension between Egypt and Israel over the issue.

Military and intelligence sources told Israeli news website Debka that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has been in consultations about how to persuade Israel to stop installing the systems in Ethiopia. The source from the Israeli MIC said that the “fruitful” Israeli-Egyptian security cooperation would never collapse due to agriculture and water issues.

The Renaissance Dam project is an issue between Ethiopia and other countries, Egypt included, over the possible effect on their share of water from the River Nile.