TerrorismIsrael, Egypt escalate attacks on militants in Sinai Peninsula (updated)

Egyptian and Israeli military engaged in joint strikes on Sinai militants, killing five // Source: radiosawa.com

The growing intelligence cooperation between Egypt and Israel was in evidence early Friday when the Israel Air Force (IAF), in coordination with the Egyptian military, used drone strikes to destroy ready-to-launch rockets and rocket launchers on Egyptian territory, killing five Egyptian militants in the process.

The attack took place on launchers placed near the city of Rafah in north Sinai, three miles west of the Egypt-Israel border.

Egyptian officials noted that the Israeli drones launched the missiles while over Israeli, not Egyptian, territory.

Ynet reports that an Egyptian army source told the Palestinian news agency Maan that the ready-to-launch rockets were deployed on Thursday in a desert area in the town, and were discovered by an Egyptian surveillance fly-over.

Egyptian reports say the Sinai militant groups have recently acquired various rockets from Iran.

An Israel knowledgeable source refused to confirm or deny the reports, saying only that “We’re aware of the increase Egyptian army activity against terror in Sinai.”

Maan also reported that the Egyptians alerted Israel about the discovery of the anti-aircraft rockets in Sinai, leading Israel to close the Eilat’s airport for two hours on Thursday.

The rockets destroyed on Friday have a range of about seventy kilometers.

Ynet notes that that Egyptian fighter jets routinely circle over Sinai to discover and thwart attempts by militants to launch rockets against targets in Sinai and the Negev.

The Egyptian army has intensified its campaign against militants in the Sinai Peninsula since the ouster of Muhamad Mosrsi. During an operation last month 103 militants were captured and sixty killed in Sinai.

The Egyptian army has also destroyed 102 tunnels on the Sinai-Gaza border and demolished forty fuel silos.

Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said last month that Egypt has deployed additional military forces — including assault helicopters — in Sinai after receiving permission from Israel, in line with the peace treaty between the two countries.

Egyptian officials told the Associated Press that three Egyptian helicopters targeted militants in the desert town of Sheik Zuweyid late Saturday. The officials said twelve militants were killed and another dozen were wounded in the attack.

Haaretz reports that Egypt’s military spokesman Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali later confirmed the helicopter attack in a post on the Egyptian military’s official Facebook page. He said the twenty-five or so militants targeted in the Egyptian air attack were wanted for an attack on Egyptian soldiers last year in which sixteen soldiers were killed. The members of the same group of militants also were wanted in connection to the abduction of seven security forces earlier this year, he said.

In a statement late Saturday night, Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya’alon said Israel “appreciated” unspecified actions taken by Egypt against militants over the weekend. Ya’alon did not deny that Israel launched a drone attack Friday targeting militants inside of Egypt.

“Israel respects the full sovereignty of Egypt,” Ya’alon said. He said Israel is “aware of the Egyptian military’s increased activity against terror infrastructures in the Sinai Peninsula” and praised the Egyptian military for “fighting first and foremost to protect Egypt’s citizens and sovereignty.”

Egypt’s state media on Saturday quoted an unnamed senior security official who chose to focus on Saturday’s, rather than Friday’s strikes. He said the strike against the militants had been carried out by Egyptian helicopters, claiming the militants had been preparing to fire on Egyptian targets rather than Israel.