ALL ARTICLES - EGYPT

• FRANCE - Tracfin seeks new chief to boost technical department. 

• ISRAEL/EGYPT - Ronen Bar on reconciliation mission in Cairo. 

• RUSSIA - FSB coast guards take the plunge.

• UKRAINE - Death a regional SBU head sparks probe. 

Abbas Kamel keeps the calm in Gaza for Biden's visit 

Familiar with mediation between Israel and Palestine, the Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel was back in action during the US president's visit to Gaza, a task made no easier with a remnant from the Six-Day War in the background.

• EGYPT - Military intel targeted by the local IS

• KAZAKHSTAN - National Guard ups border surveillance

• UKRAINE - New Marines' Odessa training

• EGYPT/SYRIA - Cairo shifts position on Syria's return to Arab League 

• PORTUGAL - Military intelligence eyes US drones  

• RUSSIA - Yet another ex-FSO officer joins Security Council 

• FRANCE - DGSE wants seat on Order of the Liberation board

• UNITED STATES - Baer vs Redmond, score settling between former CIA officers over a book

Paris juggles demand for MMP missiles for Ukraine and for export 

MMP missiles currently equip French troops stationed in Romania as well as Ukrainian fighters battling Russian forces. They are also earmarked for export, despite French stocks being lower than planned.

• FRANCE - Commando unit drones in French skies.

• KAZAKHSTAN/AZERBAIJAN/TURKEY - Kazakh military intelligence moves closer to Azeri counterpart.

• EGYPT - Timid criticism of Sisi's Sinai strategy emerges in Cairo.

Turkish and Egyptian spymasters eye deal on Muslim Brotherhood extradition 

Ankara, bent on regional reconciliation, is hoping to finalise the normalisaion of its relations with Cairo. It is ready to concede on the issue of extraditing exiled Muslim Brotherhood members, a non-negotiable condition for Egypt.

• EGYPT - Abbas Kamel oversees new tribal group fighting against Islamic State in Sinai
  

• JORDAN - Ahmed Husni deals with fallout from Amman's position on war in Ukraine 
  

• FRANCE - ANSSI's threat intelligence department gets new chief

• UNITED STATES - Pentagon preps to join titanium war

• EGYPT - The Mukhabarat al-Amma gets authority to extend its business interests

• IRAQ - Bafel Talabani sacks his intelligence chief by way of conciliation

Abbas Kamel and Hakan Fidan's talks stumble on Libya and Muslim Brotherhood 

Tension is rising between Egypt and Turkey's intelligence chiefs over Turkey's refusal to extradite suspected Muslim Brotherhood members and Erdogan's Libyan ambitions, differences that jeopardise an Egyptian-Turkish reconciliation.

Still no funding for strategic Beirut-Damas-Amman electricity deal 

After spot deliveries and Iraqi cargoes, Beirut is now counting on Jordanian supplies to transit through Damascus in order to secure the gaps in its failing electricity system. But despite this apparent progress, the details - especially for finance - of this US-led contract are still unfinalised.

Egypt sends troops to Yemen in hopes of protecting Suez Canal 

Anxious to back its ally, the UAE, Egypt has agreed to send ten soldiers to Yemen to help government forces combat the Houthi fighters. The move is also aimed at improving maritime security near the important shipping lane.

Mahmoud Al-Sisi's standing within the Mukhabarat grows 

Once ejected from the general intelligence service, the Egyptian president's son has regained his position beside the agency director Abbas Kamel. He is now in charge of developments with Israel, a sure sign of his father's trust.

Erik Prince's shadow hovers over Egypt's secret spy plane project 

To strengthen security in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian interior ministry is looking to develop its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capacity, an asset long hoped-for by the defence ministry, which relies mainly on the CAE Aviation aircraft operated for France's DRM military intelligence service.

LODI loses battle for damages over Riyadh and Cairo ODAS defence contracts 

The business diplomacy firm LODI Consulting has walked away empty-handed after a lengthy legal wrangle with the ODAS, France's military exports office.

Arab Gas Pipeline deal to supply Lebanon still faces obstacles 

Between complex pipeline maintenance contracts and negotiations about the lifting of sanctions against Syria, the Arab Gas Pipeline deal to supply gas to Lebanon is not yet complete. But Egypt, which is receiving some supplies from Israel's Leviathan field, is expected to start deliveries soon.

Canadian DPI firm Sandvine symbolises US double standards on spyware exports  Free

Canadian DPI (deep packet inspection) specialist Sandvine, funded by the US venture capital firm Francisco Partners, a former backer of Israel's NSO Group, has not been blacklisted by the US despite its raft of deals with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.

Business diplomacy firm Nigma plays key role in Franco-Egyptian defence relations 

The consulting firm Nigma Conseil, which works with the likes of MBDA, Dassault and Naval Group is among more than 30 French companies exhibiting at Egypt Defence Expo in Cairo, which opens on 29 November.

Hossam Louka's star ascends within Syrian intelligence 

Syrian spymaster Ali Mamlouk was noticably absent from the Arab Intelligence Forum, a major regional security meeting held in Cairo in November that was overseen by Abbas Kamel. But Mamlouk's absence was to Hossam Louka's advantage.

Dutch court case rocks the boat of TKMS and Thales Egyptian naval mega-deal 

A court case in the Netherlands is challenging the naval exception to the country's ban of military sales to Egypt, which could have repercussions for TKMS's sale of the Meko frigates, equipped with Dutch-made Thales C3 systems, to Cairo.