A bomb exploded outside the home of Police Secretary Mohammed Anas in the North Sinai town of Al-Arish late Saturday evening according to media reports. No injuries or fatalities were reported since the house was reportedly empty. Meanwhile, the armed forces said it found and destroyed five explosive devices in Al-Arish on Saturday.
The security forces also announced they thwarted several attacks on army positions in Sinai, without any army casualties. However, three civilians were hit by stray RPG fire near Sheikh Zuweid and succumbed to their injuries.
Defence Minister Sedky Sobhi met with members of the Second Field Army stationed in Ismailiya on Saturday for Iftar. He told the personnel that defending the nation is a “holy duty that cannot be compromised” and presented awards to outstanding officers and soldiers.
The army has claimed it has killed hundreds of militants since the 1 July attack, and is still continuing its operations in North Sinai. Reports on casualties in the attack are conflicting with the health ministry recently confirming to state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram that the armed forces lost 21 while non-official claims are much higher.
According to a report by El-Shorouk newspaper, residents of Sheikh Zuweid have started to leave the city and are heading towards Al-Arish, despite skyrocketing accommodation prices there. The report also cites a rise in air strikes against the militants, sparking residents’ fear of getting hit.
In the case of rockets allegedly fired at Israel from the Sinai Peninsula, the spokesman for the Egyptian Army denied to Daily News Egypt that rockets were fired from Egyptian soil. Earlier reports by Reuters news agency cited sources inside the Israeli security forces who stated that remnants of rockets had been found and that they came from Egypt.
