Media: Egypt disregarded US requests to obstruct Russian flights

The Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt has ignored US requests to close its airspace to Russian military flights, a vital corridor between Russia and its military bases in Syria. Without permission to fly over Egypt, Russia would have to seek a new route over Africa to reach its forces in Syria. Turkey's closure of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits has complicated the movement of arms and equipment by sea. Egypt is the second-largest recipient of US military aid, but President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has not completely aligned his foreign policy with Washington. He has deployed troops in Libya and ordered airstrikes against the US-recognized GNA, while funding the opposing Libyan National Army.