JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday warned about the Egyptian army's growing capabilities and called for preventing an “excessive buildup” of its military power, according to Israeli media.

Netanyahu made the remarks during a closed-door discussion at the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the daily Israel Hayom reported.

Netanyahu noted that “the Egyptian army is building its strength, and this needs to be monitored,” the newspaper said, citing sources present at the meeting. “We have relations with Egypt, but we must prevent an excessive buildup of military power,” the Israeli premier added.

The comments were made in the context of a discussion on the sensitivity of relations with Egypt, the sources said.

The report noted that despite such tensions, Israel and Egypt signed a $35 billion gas agreement in December.

Netanyahu announced on Dec. 17 that his government had approved the gas deal with Egypt, describing it as “the largest in Israel’s history.” He said the agreement was valued at 112 billion shekels, or about $34.75 billion.

Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in Washington on March 26, 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The treaty ended the state of war between the two countries, normalized relations, and led to Israel’s full withdrawal of military and civilian forces from the Sinai Peninsula, which was designated a demilitarized zone under the agreement.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul