(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - In spite of the Egyptian army's success in lowering the level of ISIS terror in northern Sinai, the organization still has 2,000 fighters there. The Egyptian army's main problem is a lack of exact intelligence. According to Palestinian and Bedouin sources in Sinai, Israeli intelligence has managed to infiltrate the ranks of ISIS. The ISIS news agency Amaq and the newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Israeli air force managed to successfully strike the organization's sites and command posts. While at first, ISIS in Sinai had a close connection with Hamas, there has been a great change over the past two years in their relations. ISIS hostility toward Hamas is now great due to Hamas collaboration with Egyptian intelligence. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Nov. 24, 2018, that, according to Egyptian security sources, ISIS fighters in Sinai took control of a large delivery of arms that had arrived from Iran and was meant for Hamas. According to foreign reports, Israeli intelligence has enabled the IDF to strike ISIS targets in northern Sinai, eliminating its commanders through targeted strikes. According to Egyptian sources, Israeli intelligence regularly taps the communications networks of ISIS in Sinai and monitors its movements using drones. The Egyptian army allows Israel freedom to operate militarily in the skies above Sinai. The writer, a veteran Arab affairs commentator for Israel Radio and Television, is a senior analyst for the Jerusalem Center.
2019-01-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive