BICOM

The commander of the Caracal Battalion, assigned to Israel’s border with Egypt, yesterday warned that the next terror attack from the neighbouring Sinai Peninsula could happen at any point.

 Lt.- Col. Jackie Ben-Yakar, whose battalion is the IDF’s only mixed male-female battalion told the Jerusalem Post that his forces are continually prepared as “Our working assumption is [that] an attack will happen. It’s a matter of time.” In September 2012, Caracal forces successfully repelled an attack by three terrorists, while in 2011 terrorists launched a series of coordinated cross-border raids, targeting an Israeli bus killing six civilians. Meanwhile, the Sinai Peninsula itself has become increasingly lawless over the past several months, with Egyptian security forces and policemen attacked on several occasions.

Ben-Yakar’s warning comes as the political and security situation in Egypt appears evermore unstable. Opponents of President Mohammed Morsi, who was elected last year heading the Muslim Brotherhood faction, are planning a mass protest against his rule on Sunday, coinciding with the first anniversary of Morsi’s victory. Fears that this could prove to be a violent flashpoint between Morsi and opposition supporters increased yesterday as Reuters reported that two people were killed and Al-Jazeera said that 230 were hurt in clashes ahead of a lengthy televised address delivered by Morsi.

Morsi’s two and a half hour speech blamed loyalists of former ruler Hosni Mubarak for the “paralysis” which has characterised his first year in office, although he did admit “I have made mistakes on a number of issues.” He said that he would form a “national reconciliation” committee of leading public figures. Morsi also invited party leaders to select an all-party committee to draft amendments to a controversial constitution which Morsi’s opponents claim was authorised last year to cement the Muslim Brotherhood grip on power rather than institute a meaningful Egyptian democracy.