Israel Allows Entry of Egyptian Infantry to Sinai - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News

Israel Allows Entry of Egyptian Infantry to Sinai - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News  Defense/Security

Israel Allows Entry of Egyptian Infantry Units into Sinai

Defense Minister approves a request by the Egyptian military to bring in two infantry battalions into the Sinai.

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By Elad Benari

First Publish: 7/16/2013, 12:12 AM

Sinai Peninsula

Flash 90

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalonapproved on Monday a request by the Egyptian military to bring in two more infantry battalions into the Sinai Peninsula, as part of Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on terrorists operating in the region.

One battalion will enter the Rafiah area in order to prevent smuggling of terrorists and arms from Gaza and to protect the city of El-Arish, which has been targeted by several terrorist attacks over the past few days. The second battalion will be stationed in central Sinai to act against Salafist terrorist groups.

The Sinai has become increasingly lawless since the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, and the terror attacks have only increased since the removal of President Mohammed Morsi by the Egyptian army.

On Sunday evening, unidentified gunmen opened fire on an IDF position on the border with the Sinai.
The two masked gunmen reportedly opened fire before escaping into the desert in an all-terrain vehicle. No one was injured in the clash, for which the Muslim Brotherhoodlater claimed responsibility through a Facebook page associated with the movement.

Israel approves Egypt's request to increase forces in Sinai By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS15/07/2013 Egyptian army to add 2 battalions to deal with militants.

Israel has approved a request by the Egyptian army to increase its forces in Sinai, following a rise in violence in the peninsula in recent weeks. As a part of the 1979 peace treaty signed by the two countries, each country must approve any additional military forces in the area on either side of the border. Egypt will send two additional battalions to the area - one in Rafah to help thwart smuggling and to defend El-Arish, that has been repeatedly hit with terrorist attacks recently, and another battalion in the center of the peninsula. Thirteen people have now been killed across the province by Islamist militants in the violence that followed the ouster of Mohamed Morsi on July 3. Targets this month, in addition to Egyptian security posts near the Suez Canal and the Gaza frontier, have included: a Christian priest, shot dead in the Mediterranean port of El Arish; a gas pipeline to Jordan; and the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat, where remains of a rocket were found. On Sunday evening, the IDF declared a state of alert in areas near the Israel-Egypt border, and residents were told to stay in their homes as tensions have increased because of the fighting on the Egyptian side, according to Israel Radio. No casualties have been reported on the Israeli side of the border. The Egyptian State Information Service reported on Sunday that the army has killed 37 terrorists and wounded 42 so far in their security operation in the Sinai. Unidentified gunmen attacked four army and police checkpoints in Rafah and Arish while gunmen fired at an army checkpoint in front of the Rafah municipal council using RPG launchers and attacked Sukkar, Al-Mahager, and Al Matar checkpoints on Al- Arish ring road. Two soldiers were injured in these attacks, according to the report. Security sources said that the army exchanged fire with gunmen and that apache helicopters chased the fleeing gunmen into neighboring fields. The desert peninsula has long been a security headache for Egypt and its neighbors. Large and empty, it borders Israel and the Gaza Strip and flanks the Suez Canal linking Asia to Europe. It is also home to nomad clans disaffected with rule from Cairo. By adding to anger and seeming to confirm low expectations of democracy among Islamist militants who viewed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood as too moderate, the president's removal by the army has brought new violence to Sinai. It may presage more, if the fiery rhetoric of various hardline groups is any guide. Despite banner headlines in a state-run newspaper this weekend declaring a new assault on Sinai militants in the coming days, army sources are playing down the possibility of a major operation in the near term. Resources are already stretched. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief journalists on the sensitive issue, said troops in Sinai were already on heightened alert. If the army were to want to be more assertive, it might need to re-equip. The Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets it buys with $1.3 billion in annual US military aid are not ideal for fighting small groups of international jihadist militants and their local Bedouin allies in remote, rugged terrain. July 15, 2013, 9:11 p.m. ET U.S. Pushes for Quick Egypt Transition Kerry to Seek Arab League Support, as White House Tries to Tamp Down Tension WASHINGTON—Secretary of State John Kerry, seeking to promote a quick political transition in Egypt, will face a gathering of Arab leaders this week who have already expressed strong support for the Egyptian military and its decision to overthrow President Mohammed Morsi. Mr. Kerry's meeting in Jordan on Wednesday with leaders from the Arab League will mark his first high-level encounter with diplomats from among Egypt's neighbors since Mr. Morsi's fall on July 3. The group will discuss problems bedeviling Mr. Kerry's push for Mideast peace talks as well as the situation in Egypt. Enlarge Image European Pressphoto Agency Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi escape from tear gas after they clashed with police in Cairo on Monday. Mr. Kerry's trip comes on the heels of one by the State Department's No. 2 official, Deputy Secretary William Burns, who visited Cairo on Monday and issued an urgent call for the release of members of Mr. Morsi's political movement, the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, who have been detained by the military-led interim government. "We've called on the military to avoid any politically motivated arrests," Mr. Burns said, adding opponents must refrain from violence. "It is hard to picture how Egypt will be able to emerge from this crisis unless its people come together to find a nonviolent and inclusive path forward." The meeting plans came as thousands of Morsi supporters held another rally on Monday to demand his return to office. The protest turned violent as police fired tear gas at the protesters as they burned tires, threw rocks and blocked traffic flow on a main roadway running through the heart of the capital, the Associated Press reported. Related Articles Live Updates Egypt Freezes Assets of Brotherhood Leaders 'Deep State' Rises Again Misgivings Over Coup Spread in Egypt Egyptian Moves to Detain Brotherhood Leaders U.S. Defense Chief Mans the Hot Line to Cairo An Economist in Eye of a Political Storm U.S. Struggles for Leverage in Mideast Egypt Descends Into Chaos Capital Journal: In Egypt, U.S. Is Left With a Familiar False Choice Quiet of Morning Prayer Shattered by Violence in Cairo Meanwhile, Mr. Burns saw leaders of the interim, military-backed government, including President Adly Mansour, Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei and defense chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. The State Department said he didn't meet with officials of the Muslim Brotherhood. As Mr. Kerry heads to the region, cracks have appeared between the U.S. and some of its closest Middle East allies, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, over the path forward in Egypt. The Obama administration has publicly threatened to cut more than $1.5 billion in annual military and economic aid to Egypt if Cairo's generals don't quickly set a path toward a new civilian government. The U.S. is also pressing Egypt to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to take part in the process. Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Kuwait, conversely, have showered $12 billion in economic aid on Egypt in recent weeks and publicly praised the military for its actions. "The idea of weakening the Egyptian military doesn't make sense to us," said a senior Arab official taking part in the Arab League meeting. "We think the U.S. will only reduce its influence in Egypt if it does so. Israeli officials have also signaled that they hope U.S. military aid continues to flow to Cairo. "Our concern is the peace treaty with Egypt. One of the foundations of that peace treaty was the U.S. aid given to Egypt," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. A senior U.S. official taking part in Mr. Kerry's trip to Amman said the U.S. wasn't seeking to pressure Arab governments on the issue of whether to support Egypt's military and transitional government. But the diplomat said the U.S. will make clear the principles that it believes should be followed in Egypt. "We have said that there should be a rapid transition to a civilian government, that it's transparent," said the official. While in Jordan, Mr. Kerry also will seek to generate Arab support for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The U.S. secretary of state is on his seventh trip to the Mideast since taking his post this year, and he has been aggressively trying to bring Mr. Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas back to the negotiating table.