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Egypt deploys on Sinai border to help combat threats against Israel
Egypt has deployed a significant force in the Taba region of the Sinai Peninsula, very close to Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, in an apparent attempt to combat threats of missile and rocket attacks on Israel, especially those targeting civilian aircraft.
Since Egypt’s military ousted Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood last July, Sinai has become increasingly lawless and has been plagued by violence due to the increasing presence of Islamist Jihadi groups. Under the direction of Egypt’s new President al-Sisi, Egypt’s army has launched a major offensive against these groups in recent months. In addition, the Egyptian military has also destroyed more than 1,500 smuggling tunnels into Sinai from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
The violence has also targeted Israel on occasion. In January, two rockets were fired on Eilat, an important Israeli tourist resort and commercial port. The city came under fire last year too and its airport was closed in August as a precaution. There have also been two infiltrations across the Israeli border since 2011.
Since the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt and Israel have increasingly cooperated on security issues. Although prohibited by the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, Israel has nonetheless permitted Egyptian deployments several times over the last year. According to several media reports, Egypt this week deployed the equivalent of a battalion to the Taba region with Israel’s full coordination.
Apparently, the deployment is designed to combat potential missile attacks on Israel and in particular a possible attack on civilian Israeli aircraft. In January, one of the most prominent armed groups in Sinai, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, shot down an Egyptian army helicopter using anti-aircraft missiles. Egypt is reportedly concerned about the prospect of a similar incident targeting aircraft landing at Eilat’s busy airport.
The deployment comes just a week after al-Sisi was sworn in as Egypt’s new president, pledging to strengthen law and order. He has already outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror organisation.