Israel greenlights Egyptian op in Sinai

Israel will allow Egypt to continue its military operations against militant strongholds in the Sinai Peninsula even if it is accompanied by occasional violations of the peace treaty between the countries, Israeli government officials said.

Egypt launched Operation 'Eagle' on 7 August after 16 soldiers were killed by armed men who Israel believes were mostly Sinai Bedouin aligned with a transnational jihadist network.

Around 35 attackers stormed an Egyptian base on 5 August, killed the soldiers and stole a Fahd armored personnel carrier (APC), which they used to breach the border with Israel.

Another pick-up truck, which the Israel Defence Force (IDF) estimates was laden with half a ton of explosives, blew up on the border.

The APC succeeded in driving around 2 km into Israel before it was stopped in a joint tank and aircraft strike. The IDF released imagery filmed by an aircraft as it fired a missile at the APC but did not identify the platform involved.

IDF sources said the militants were wearing explosive bomb belts on their bodies, an indication that they planned to infiltrate a military base or nearby town and embark on a killing spree.