Egypt launched a massive military operation on Sunday to stop al-Qaida and
Beduin terrorists and to restore order to the Sinai Peninsula, which fell into
anarchy following the revolution in the country earlier this
year.
Israeli defense officials said they were aware of the operation –
known as Operation Eagle – and that head of the Defense Ministry’s
diplomatic-security Bureau Amos Gilad visited Cairo earlier this month to
discuss a wide range of issues with the interim Egyptian government, including
the operation in Sinai.
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Egypt-Sinai-Gaza: The triangular threat to Israel
Egypt recruits Sinai Beduin to protect natural gas pipelineIn February, Israel gave the Egyptian government
approval to deploy military forces in the Sinai Peninsula to crack down on
Beduin violence and to protect a pipeline that supplies natural gas to Israel.
The deployment was made under the condition that the troops would withdraw the
moment they are asked to by Israel.
Under the 1979 peace treaty, Israel
returned Sinai to Egypt. In return, Egypt agreed to leave the area, which
borders southern Israel, demilitarized.
The operation launched on Sunday
includes about 1,000 soldiers and a few hundred armored personnel carriers that
flooded into Sinai over the weekend and took up positions near El-Arish and
Rafah. Israeli officials said they welcomed the operation, which they hoped
would also lead to a crackdown on weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip, which
has significantly increased since Hosni Mubarak’s regime fell in February.
Since the revolution, the amount of weapons smuggled into Gaza – including
advanced rockets and shoulder- launched missiles – has dramatically increased.
Al-Qaida and global jihad elements have also strengthened their presence in
Sinai.
The Egyptian security forces are also expected to try and
apprehend alleged Beduin gangs that are behind a series of attacks on the gas
pipeline. The pipeline has been attacked five times in the past six
months.
An Israeli official said that there is a lot of concern about the
lawlessness in Sinai and the trouble Egypt has had in maintaining
order.
“Lack of law and order in Sinai can be dangerous for the region.
It can allow extremists to be active in Sinai. We do not want to see
Sinai become a launching pad for terrorism,” he said.
Tovah Lazaroff
contributed to this report.