When Egypt this month announced that it had broken up a Hizbollah cell plotting attacks on its soil, hardly anyone outside the Middle East took notice. It was assumed Cairo had dreamed up a menacing tale to justify a new round of arrests of Islamists.
But then something curious happened: the chief of Hizbollah, Lebanon’s Shia group, appeared on television to declare that, while allegations of a plot against Egypt were nonsense, Hizbollah had indeed sent an agent to Egypt to organise help for Palestinians.
Cairo could not contain its satisfaction, even with a partial confession. And it promptly unleashed its rhetorical fury, transforming the controversy into a full-blown diplomatic row with Hizbollah and, more worryingly, with Iran, the group’s backer.
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