Israel says Egypt buying advanced Russian air defense system

A senior Israeli intelligence official who tracks the regional arms balance said on Wednesday that Egypt was buying Russia's advanced S-300 air defense system, a deal reported in Russian media but not confirmed by Cairo.

Asked about the Israeli remarks, an Egyptian official reached by Reuters did not corroborate them but said that Israel should not feel threatened.

"If we are getting such a thing, it's because we're looking east, not north," the official told Reuters, in an apparent reference to Iran, whose nuclear and missile programs worry many in the Arab world, as they do Israel.

An Egyptian military spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the Israeli remarks.

In a state of stable albeit cold peace since 1979, Israel and Egypt have in recent years stepped up security coordination against Islamist militants.