EL-ARISH: Egyptian authorities have discovered two underground tunnels used for smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip from the Sinai Peninsula, a security source told AFP on Sunday.
The two tunnels were found on Saturday near a school in the border town of Rafah, the source said, adding that security forces were immediately deployed to the area and were preparing to destroy the tunnels.
No arrests were made or weapons found although the tunnels have already been used for smuggling, the source said.
Israel has long complained that Egypt is not doing enough to control the arms smuggling but Egypt, which took responsibility for securing its side of the border in 2005, says it is doing its best to stem the flow of weapons.
It says monitoring the porous border with Gaza is made difficult by the peace treaty it signed with Israel in 1979 which bars it from deploying more troops to the area. It has asked to renegotiate the treaty. -AFP
