Egypt braces for Friday morning protests on July 19 , 2013......Israel and US brace for islamists actions in the Sinai.....

Egypt braces for fresh Friday protests

Supporters of deposed president begin to gather at more than a dozen locations across the capital, Cairo. Last Modified: 19 Jul 2013 11:33

Morsi supporters in Nasr City seem to be digging in for the long haul, fortifying their sit-in with barricades [Reuters]

Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi have slowly begun to gather at more than a dozen locations around the capital to demand the reinstatement of the country's first democratically-elected leader, who was overthrown by the military two weeks ago. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its political allies have organised Friday afternoon marches from mosques across Cairo, and several other cities. It is their latest attempt at political escalation since the July 3 coup that saw Morsi taken into house arrest. Opponents of the deposed president, meanwhile, are planning their own rallies in Tahrir Square and outside the presidential palace, which were the focal points of the mass anti-government protests that led to Morsi's downfall. Morsi's supporters have clashed several times with security forces, most recently on Monday night, when they fought with police near Ramsis Square, a major thoroughfare in central Cairo. In a statement issued on Friday, the pro-Morsi coalition urged its supporters to remain peaceful and "adhere to civilised behaviour". "To every free Egyptian man and woman: Come out against the bloody military coup," the alliance said. Morsi's supporters are also staging sit-ins outside of a mosque in the Nasr City district, and near Cairo University. 'Bloody path' The protests come one day after the country's interim president, Adly Mansour, vowed to protect Egypt from chaos and violence. In his first public address since being sworn in, the former high court justice compared the events that led to Morsi's ouster to the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011. "We are going through a critical stage and some want us to move towards chaos and we want to move towards stability. Some want a bloody path," he said, speaking in a pre-recorded message aired on state television. "We will fight a battle for security until the end. We will preserve the revolution." The army also spoke on Thursday, issuing a stern warning that "whoever resorts to violence and deviates from peacefulness in Friday's rallies will put his life in danger." Nearly 100 people have been killed in clashes since the removal of Morsi from power.

Egypt set for Fattah 2 offensive on Sinai Islamist terror. Gaza sealed. US and Israeli forces on alert Egyptian troops in Sinai DEBKAfile Exclusive Report Jul 19, 2013, 1:45 AM (IDT) An Egyptian military offensive, dubbed Fattah 2 (Conquest 2), begins Friday, July 19 against a coalition of Salafists and Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Jihad Islami groups terrorizing Sinai.  Egypt’s Second Army and Third Army chiefs lead the campaign from command centers in El Arish and central Sinai. The Gaza Strip exits are sealed. Israeli forces along the Egyptian and Gaza borders are on alert, so too are the 2,600 Marines aboard two US amphibious helicopter carriers off the Red Sea shores of Southern Sinai and the Gulf of Suez.  More>