Al-Arab, London, May 21
The exact reason for the disappearance of the Egyptair flight over the Mediterranean is still not clear. Egyptian, Russian, and American officials claimed that the airliner was likely brought down in a terror attack, due to a bomb placed on board. In the mean time, communication information retrieved from aviation radio channels indicate that several smoke detectors went off on board before communication with the airplane was lost. Either way, whoever stands behind this attack wanted to send a clear message to Paris and Cairo. In recent months, France has been promoting an aggressive strategy in Libya, aimed at blocking the spread of the Islamic State in North Africa. French military personnel have been equipping and training their Libyan counterparts with weapons and equipment to fight terror cells in the country. The new French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has been working to convene several international conferences, aimed at addressing both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as the situation in the Middle East at large. This is where Egypt comes into the picture: no campaign against the Islamic State in Libya can take place without the ground support of Egyptian forces. France can provide the international framework, planning, and intelligence that is needed for such an operation, but it is Cairo that will have to do the coordination on the ground. Targeting this specific flight from Paris to Cairo is no coincidence. Whoever planted the bomb could have easily chosen any other airliner. The idea is to send a clear message to both countries, warning them of trying to imitate their campaign in Syria in other places in the region as well. – Amin Ibn Masoud