Egypt Military Tightens Security in Sinai

Egyptian forces launched an extensive military operation in the northern Sinai on Saturday, sending in hundreds of soldiers in an apparent bid to reinforce dwindling security in the desert peninsula.

News of Egyptian maneuvers came just days after suspected Sinai militants fired a volley of Grad-type Katyusha rockets a residential area in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

Earlier this month, Egyptian security officials said militants again attacked a gas pipeline in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to neighboring Israel and Jordan.

The attack on the pipeline is the 12th since the popular uprising that ousted longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak last year.

On Saturday, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior indicated it decided to conduct a large scale military operation, including sending a large amount of forces into northern Sinai.

Salach Al Masri, commander of the security forces in northern Sinai explained that the Egypt sent roughly 150 police officers, from special forces and other combat units, in order to reinforce the security presence in northern Sinai.

For more, go to Haaretz.com