Smugglers attempting to bring illegal contraband into Israel from Egypt were shot and killed by Egyptian troops while inside Israeli territory Tuesday morning. The incident, sure to raise tensions in the border region, came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cairo for a visit with his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Analysts have pointed to the visit as evidence of the growing split between the al-Sisi regime and Washington and the danger of Egypt shifting back to a strategic alliance with Moscow after more than 30 years as an American client-state. For his part, Putin told reporters ahead of his visit that Israel and the Palestinians shared the blame for the lack of formal peace between them, adding that both parties needed to make serious compromises to the other to achieve a durable solution in the region. Read More
