U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to restore military aid to Egypt that was suspended in 2013, ever since the current military ruler overthrew the elected government. In the new turn of events, the White House said Mr Obama notified Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in a phone call that the U.S. would be sending 12 F-16 fighter jets, 20 Boeing Harpoon missiles and 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits to face the immediate threats to its security.

White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the U.S. assistance will help Egypt in tackling the rise of a radical group affiliated with Islamic State militants that had attacked Egyptian soldiers and civilians. The White House said Egypt will remain the second-largest recipient of U.S. foreign military financing worldwide, behind Israel. The step is aimed at boosting Cairo's ability to combat the extremist threat in the region.

Yemen Factor

Egypt is an important part of an Arab offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen. It is also fighting Islamic State in Libya. In the past few months, Mr Sisi has been loudly campaigning for a restoration of the U.S. military sponsorship. In 2013, He overthrew Egypt's democratically elected leader, Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, reports Fox News.

Egypt has been arguing that it needs money urgently to confront the growing threats from extremists creeping over the border from Libya and in the Sinai Peninsula. The U.S. is also convinced that the funds are critical for stabilising the volatile Middle East.

Arab Concerns

The U.S. aid comes at a time Egypt has been trying to play a leading role in forming an Arab military alliance to fight terrorism or the perceived rise of Shia militias in the region. Arab nations have expressed concern about Washington's negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and has been questioning whether the U.S. is aligning itself with Tehran and trying to jettison its long-standing allies in the region, like Egypt. The Guardian reports that Mr Sisi proposed a pan-Arab military coalition for targeting the advance of ISIS and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In January, Egyptian forces in the Sinai peninsula were attacked by ISIS-affiliated militants, who killed at least 32 people.

The White House said Mr Obama raised U.S. concerns about Egypt's continued violation of rights, imprisonment of activists and stressed the need to respect freedom of speech and assembly. The U.S. president assured the Egyptian ruler that he would ask the Congress to provide an annual $1.3 billion [$1.7 billion] military aid for Egypt. But he warned that credit facility will be denied for Egypt, in buying arms from the U.S., with effect from 2018, reports Al Jazeera.

"The animosity had been growing because of an Egyptian sense that they were at a point of mortal peril and we were engaged in academic games about modifying assistance programs," noted Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

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