An Egyptian security source said Monday that Cairo had lowered the security alert at its border with the Gaza Strip, two days after officials said the area along the Philadelphi Route had been fortified in case of a possible Israel Defense Forces operation against tunnels used for arms smuggling.

"The number of officers has been reduced after the Israeli threat has lessened," an source in the Egyptian border police said. "The border area was calm and no abnormal movement has been seen."

An Egyptian source said Saturday that Egypt had stationed 5,000 additional security police along the Gaza border, to join the 750 troops already deployed.

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But Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied Monday reports from his own government that extra forces had been deployed.

"This is totally baseless," Mubarak told a group of Egyptian lawmakers of his ruling National Democratic Party.

Government officials and the state-run Middle East News Agency had reported Saturday that the police were dispatched to protect Egyptians living close to Gaza following newspaper reports that Israeli aircraft might bomb the border area in a bid to destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz had also denied the reports on Sunday, saying Egypt would not deploy at the Gaza border any more than the agreed upon 750 troops.

"Beyond the 750 Egyptian border troops deployed in the area, there won't be any additions," Peretz told ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting.

Sources in the Israeli defense establishment said Sunday they were unaware of any changes made to Egyptian troop deployment in Sinai, adding that Cairo conveyed no requests to Israel on the matter.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that there was no basis the reports.

Egypt says preparing for possible IDF operation
An Egyptian source said late Saturday that Egypt was planning to fortify its border along the Philadelphi Route in the event of a possible Israel Defense Forces operation against arms smuggling.

According to the Egyptian source, the additional force of mostly police officers were to join the 750 officers and soldiers already deployed along the Philadelphi Route, a strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border that has been used to smuggle weapons into the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli officials said that Egypt had agreed to deploy 750 troops at the border, and would not deploy as many as 5,000 even if it were to bolster its forces, Israel Radio reported.

The Egyptian source had said that the increased military and police presence was to serve as a precaution against possible IDF bombing of tunnels.

"We are monitoring the situation with concern, but we have yet to receive an official warning from Israel regarding an upcoming operation," an Egyptian officer said.

According to Egyptian security, an IDF operation in the area could harm some 20,000 citizens living in the vicinity of the border. "There are schools, banks, markets and homes [in the area]," the official said.

An Israeli military source said later Saturday, "Anything that will take place along the Philadelphi Route will be reported to the Egyptian authorities in advance."

Earlier Saturday, Egyptian police seized one ton of explosives in a mountainous zone of the Sinai Peninsula near the border with Israel, an Egyptian security official said.