Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed Wednesday that his country has no “hidden agendas” or “territorial ambitions,” responding to recent threats by an Israeli official that Israel would seize the Sinai Peninsula if Egypt attacks Israel.

“Egypt’s primary and ultimate objective is to safeguard its own security and stability,” Sisi said in a speech delivered at the Egyptian Military Academy, in the New Administrative Capital, to mark the 53rd anniversary of the October 1973 war.

“The Egyptian state harbors no hidden agendas. Its core priority remains the protection of its borders and national security within a framework of peace and stability,” he stressed.

Referring to the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, Sisi said that it remains the sole “governing framework” for relations between the two countries.