Militants blow up Israel-Egypt gas pipeline
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack against a pipeline in North Sinai that carries gas from Israel to Egypt.
A huge blast rocked the gas pipeline between Egypt and Israel on the morning of Feb. 2 in the Sinai Peninsula, alarming residents there and causing a massive fire at the explosion location. The pipeline was completely out of order and an alternative pipeline is currently being used until the damage is fixed.
The Islamic State claimed in a statement that it had planted bombs in various locations along the pipeline.
Since the January 25 Revolution of 2011, there have been around 30 reported blasts targeting the same pipeline until the Egyptian army sent military reinforcements to Sinai to ensure security on pipeline tracks in 2015.
Osama el-Ghandour, head of the North Sinai governorate, downplayed the impact of the blast on gas supplies in the province. He told Al-Monitor over the phone that while the damage is still being assessed, it “will not affect houses, factories and companies operating in North Sinai because they shifted to an alternative pipeline until repairs are done.”
