Sinai Islamists fire long-range missile
Egyptian military sources says jihadist group fired projectile with 45-kilometer range during drill; Israeli reported arrested in peninsula
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An Islamic group operating in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula fired a long-range missile on Sunday as part of a military drill, Egyptian sources said.
The missile was launched from central Sinai in the direction of the Suez Canal and is thought to have a range of 45 kilometers, Egyptian military officials told Ma’an News. The missile landed in the open desert and left a three-meter-deep crater, the sources said.
Egyptian experts told Ma’an it was likely that the missile was Israeli ordnance left behind from the period when Israel held the peninsula, before it pulled out under its peace agreement with Egypt.
Sinai has experienced a period of increased lawlessness since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution drove the military from power. Most recently, over the weekend, Egypt issued a state of emergency alert over fears that Islamist groups planned an attack on police facilities.
‘Israeli arrested’
On Sunday, Egyptian security forces in Taba, near the Israel-Sinai border, arrested an Israeli citizen who had crossed into Egypt from Eilat, Ma’an reported. The man, who was reportedly without any identification papers, told police that he was attempting to reach the grave site of a rabbi in Morocco.
Last week, two British tourists were briefly abducted by Bedouin tribesmen.
Israel has issued a travel advisory, warning citizens to stay away from the peninsula, once a hotspot teeming with Israeli tourists.
The Times of Israel Community.