Militants threaten Egyptian security efforts Ismailia – Yosry Mohamed Jihadist groups in Sinai have announced a renewed war against Israel in a series of video releases from inside Egypt. “Our weapons are not directed at Egypt. We will run a war of martyrdom against the Zionist enemy,” one representative said. Egyptian security forces have confirmed the groups’ presence inside the country, forming small cells aimed at attacking security cordons in Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid.
\"Jihadist elements in the area have taken advantage of a security vacuum in the Sinai suffered following the January 25 revolution,” sources informed Arabstoday, adding that authorities are planning a truce.
Authorities have put the region on security lockdown since August 5, following an attack that left 16 Egyptian soldiers dead. Jihadists hid out in southern Sinai’s mountainous regions after clashes.
One group, Supporters of Jerusalem, announced in a video its intention to bomb gas pipelines supplying Israel.  The Mujahideen Shura Council and Tawhid and Jihad also publicly confirmed their presence in Sinai, also alleging links with al-Qaeda in the region.
Jihadists meanwhile claimed their “refusal to bow to the dictats of Zionist and American forces.”
\"Any attempts by police and military forces to suppress, terrorise and intimidate civilians in Sinai will only evoke backfire,” the groups claimed.