On the 38th anniversary of Egypt’s military victory against Israel, Field-Marshal Hussein ‎Tantawi equated the 1973 national triumph with the country’s current political situation.

“The Egyptian people, who once refused to accept defeat and freed every inch ‎of their land, are certainly able to safely pass through the current transitional period,” Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), said on Thursday.

On 6 October 1973, the Egyptian army defeated its Israeli counterpart to liberate the Sinai ‎Peninsula, which had been occupied by Israel six years earlier. Every year since, Egyptians have ‎commemorated the historic victory.

This year, Tantawi took the opportunity to hail the victory as ‎a testament to the Egyptian people’s ability to ride out the current post-revolution transitional phase.‎

“Egypt is in a very critical period,” he said. “This requires all classes of Egyptians, from across the political spectrum and from all walks of life, to work on getting the ‎country off this dangerous road.”‎

He went on to stress that the Egyptian Army “has protected the January 25 Revolution ‎from the beginning.”

The SCAF has governed the nation’s affairs since the February ouster of longstanding president Hosni Mubarak. ‎

After briefly enjoying strong public support, the military council has since been subject to increasing criticism due to a chronic security vacuum, a deteriorating national economy, ‎and its continued practice of trying civilians in military courts.