Egyptian Air Force deployed fighter jets in the Sinai Peninsula on Monday in the wake of the Kerem Shalom border attack, for the first time since the Egypt-Israel peace treaty was signed in 1979, Egyptian news agencies reported.
Two fighter jets, armed with attack missiles, arrived in El Arish early Monday morning to assist in the effort to track down the fugitive terrorists responsible for the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers on the border with Israel, a high-ranking security official in northern Sinai told the Egyptian news site Al Masrawi. The source added that more military aircraft were on their way.
He also said that within 48 hours, large military reinforcements would arrive in Sinai — a special measure coordinated with Israel in order to help track down the terrorists in Sinai’s rough terrain.
The Sinai has seen a surge of violence since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster last year, but Sunday’s attack was the worst in several years.
( via timesofisrael.com)