Cairo claim on Hezbollah line in the sand

WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Egypt's claim that Hezbollah is intent on carrying out attacks on its soil is an effort to mark its stance in the Arab community against the threat from Iran.

Cairo made repeated allegations in recent weeks that it has uncovered a Hezbollah cell in the Sinai peninsula that was planning to coordinate multiple attacks on Egyptian soil.

Egyptian security officials arrested Mohammad Yousef Mansour, or Sami Shihab, late last year in connection with the plot and with aiding the Palestinian Hamas, but officials only made the information publicly available in recent weeks. A report by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said the timing of the announcement comes as Cairo positions itself clearly on the Western side of the Iranian-Arab debate.

The timing may also reflect a growing anxiety in Cairo not only regarding Iranian influence in the region but also with Washington's latest efforts to improve relations with Tehran.

Hezbollah, for its part, has made similar claims, saying Cairo is politicizing the issue as a means to shore up Egypt's declining influence in the region.

The institute's report said Washington should seize the opportunity to support its Egyptian allies in its rhetoric against Iranian proxies in the region as a possible bargaining chip aimed at moderating Tehran's behavior.