Lt. Gen. Ashraf Zaher sworn in as Egypt’s new defense minister

CAIRO – 11 February 2026: Lt. Gen. Ashraf Zaher, Director of the Egyptian Military Academy, was sworn in as the new Minister of Defense and Military Production before President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday.

Zaher succeeds Gen. Abdel Majeed Saqr, who had held the post since July 2024.

El-Sisi held a meeting with both Saqr and Zaher on Wednesday within the framework of the current Cabinet reshuffle, the Presidency announced in a statement.

The Cabinet was reshuffled on Tuesday under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who has held the post since 2018.

President El-Sisi witnessed the swearing-in of the newly appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, along with 18 ministers, including both new appointees and incumbents whose ministries were merged under the reshuffle.

The House of Representatives approved the major cabinet reshuffle, which included the appointment of new ministers and the merging of several ministries.

Moreover, the posts of Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development were eliminated.

Everything you need to know about the new faces in Egypt’s Cabinet is here.