BICOM

An Egyptian gas pipeline distribution station in northern Sinai, which supplies Egyptian natural gas to Israel, was blown up in the early hours of this morning, according to the Egyptian official news agency MENA (Middle East News Agency). The station was situated near the town of El-Arish. Flames from the explosion could be seen up to 20 km from the facility. No group has claimed responsibility. This is the fourth time that the pipeline has been targeted since the fall of the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Previous attacks took place on 5 February, 27 April and 4 July. A security guard was reported to have been injured in the latest attack. The station, according to Egyptian media reports, pumps gas to another station in an area called Sheikh Zwayed, which exports gas to Israel.

The supply of natural gas to Israel has become a matter of controversy since the fall of the Mubarak regime. Israel pays market rates for the gas, but rumors that it was receiving gas at specially reduced rates are widespread in the Egyptian media, and the Egyptian authorities are currently in the process of renegotiating gas prices with both Israel and Jordan. The ongoing attacks on the pipeline are a worrying sign that stability in Egypt remains elusive. Further south, large scale protests have recommenced in Egyptian cities against what many regard as the slow pace of reform and continued military rule. An open-ended sit in at Cairo’s Tahrir Square began on Friday.