BICOM

Israeli Defence Forces deployed further troops to the south of Israel following a concrete intelligence report that suggested a number of Palestinian terrorist cells are operating in Sinai and would attempt to infiltrate Israel. Minister for Home Front Defense, Matan Vilnai said yesterday that one of the cells may consist of more than ten members and is currently in the Sinai. The intelligence warnings indicated that the terrorist cells in the Sinai are members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees organisation. The report also indicated that the Palestinian groups are working with Egyptian Islamists to carry out an attack in Israel to avenge the killing of their members during air strikes in the Gaza strip over the past two weeks.

The additional troops deployed by the IDF in the south are expecting a number of scenarios from the terror cells, which could include border penetration attempts, attacking Israeli vehicles along the roads near the border and launching rockets from Sinai into Eilat. The army is also preparing for a possible sea-borne attack on Eilat with naval reinforcements along the gulf, including anchoring Israel’s two most advanced missile boats in the port of Eilat. The two missile boats may also be in the area in anticipation of Iranian naval vessels making their way from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, as was reported yesterday in Tehran.

Meanwhile In Egypt, the independent Cairo based newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Tuesday that Egyptian security forces have launched a widespread operation to crack down on terrorist elements in the Sinai Peninsula. More than 1,500 Egyptian soldiers have been deployed in the peninsula backed by armored vehicles and tanks to comb the areas around Rafah, Al-Arish and Sheikh Zwaid, according to various Arab media reports.

In related news, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz warned terrorist organisations yesterday not to test the IDF’s strength, saying that any attack against Israel will be met with a severe response. “Hamas and the other terror groups in the Gaza Strip should know that bringing harm to Israeli citizens will bring about a harsh response. They do not want to test our might,” Gantz said during the Navy’s annual memorial service for fallen soldiers, held in Ashdod.

Gantz also mentioned captive soldier Gilad Shalit, who turned 25 on Sunday, “Let me take this opportunity to emphasise that the IDF and the armed forces are doing everything within their power to bring back the missing soldiers and Gilad to their families as soon as possible.”