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Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com/el-sissis-army-goes-to-war-in-the-sinai/
Egypt Goes to War in Sinai
(Times of Israel) Avi Issacharoff - Tuesday's bombing by Egyptian helicopter gunships of jihadi positions in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, which reportedly killed dozens, was the latest aggressive step taken by the Egyptian army against the terror groups in Sinai. Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is putting heavy pressure on the terror groups there that identify with al-Qaeda. "We will not end this war until we clean out the area," an Egyptian security source said. The source also confirmed that Egypt intends to set up a 500-meter-deep "security zone," empty of homes and residents, in the border area between Gaza and Sinai, in order to clamp down, once and for all, on the smuggling tunnels. Israel contemplated similar initiatives when the IDF controlled the Gaza-Sinai border area, but it never acted because of a well-grounded fear of the outraged international response. The tunnels have become a strategic target for the Egyptian army because most of the jihadi terror organizations in Sinai get their weapons via the Gaza tunnels, and cross through them into the Strip for military training.