Egypt hits militants in Sinai, to Israeli approval

Reuters ^ | 8/8/2012 | Yusri Mohamed

[mojito]

Egyptian aircraft struck at targets near the border with Israel on Wednesday and troops raided villages as a crackdown began on Islamic militants blamed for a deadly attack on Egyptian border police, army officials and witnesses said.

Israel, urging Egypt to deal with a growing threat on its southern flank, voiced approval of the security sweep, the biggest military assault in the area since their 1973 war.

The air strikes around the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, 10 km (6 miles) from the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip, followed clashes overnight between armed men and security forces at several checkpoints in the north of Egypt's Sinai region.

Gunmen killed 16 border guards on Sunday in the bloodiest attack on security forces in Sinai since Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979. The attackers stormed through the border into Israel but they were killed by Israeli fire.

[....]

On Wednesday morning, witnesses in Sheikh Zuwaid said two military planes flew over the area and heard explosions. Other people near the town said they saw three cars bombed.

[....]

Troops entered al-Toumah village, 20 km (15 miles) to the south, acting on information that militants were staying there, army commanders in Sinai told Reuters. One said 20 militants were killed.

A villager said he saw military helicopters chasing vehicles out of al-Toumah and heard rocket fire. The men in the cars fired back with machine guns, he said. An army general in al-Toumah said helicopters destroyed three vans in which militants tried to escape.

[mojito]

The Israelis told the Egyptians that either they handle this little hornets nest, or the IDF would.

[Olog-hai]

All taqiyyah. It was the MB that helped set up the “hornet’s nest” in the first place.

[mojito]

True. I wonder just what it was that caused Hamas to sting the hand that fed them?

Maybe they thought they were doing the new MB government a favor by killing 16 Egyptian soldiers?

[Olog-hai]

Well, since Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's military is not, it could be a power play by the MB in case there are any uncooperative types left in the military hierarchy, i.e. to demonstrate who is boss now.