The heightened security follows a military operation in Sinai on Sunday Arish – Yosry Mohamed Security was tightened in northern Sinai on Monday after threats from Jihadist militants following the killing of dozens of fighters in a military operation, Egyptian security sources said on Monday .
“Officials and soldiers were told to be particularly careful while dealing with suspected militants and increase the number of checkpoints near security facilities to ensure any explosive devices that may be planted by insurgents are found,” the sources said.
The heightened security followed a military operation in Sinai on Sunday that killed 15 militants from the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group.
A funeral was held for the fighters on Saturday and the sources revealed that “intelligence agents spotted militants at the funeral and they were later targeted by Apache helicopters.”
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis meanwhile said an Israeli drone crossed into Egyptian airspace on Friday killing four fighters as they were preparing a cross-border rocket strike into Israel.
The group said in a statement that the dead were members of Egyptian Sinai tribes and that the leader of the rocket squad escaped unharmed. The statement denounced the Egyptian military for allegedly having allowed the attack: \"What is greater treason than the Egyptian army allowing the Zionist drones to violate Egyptian territory?\"
The insurgents in Sinai also warned of consequences if the Egyptian army continues to target their fighters in Sinai, noting that the group’s operations against Israel will continue.
“We have previously warned of changing the army’s role from protecting the country from its enemies to protecting US and Israeli interests in Egypt and in the region by killing Egyptians,” the statement said, accusing the army spokesman of not telling the truth about the Israeli attack targeting militants on the Egyptian borders with Sinai.