An Israeli website, DEBKA, has reported that Friday’s drone strike on the Sinai was carried out with intelligence and military coordination between the Israelis and the leaders of Egypt’s military coup.
The website, which is widely regarded as close to the country’s intelligence services, quotes Egyptian security officials who confirmed that the Israeli drone attack on Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula had killed five militants and destroyed a rocket launch pad. Local residents have since confirmed that four people were killed while a fifth escaped.
Meanwhile, several Israeli and western media sources notably the Jerusalem Post, Yediot Ahronot, The New York Times and Associated Press have also reported that the Israeli air strike was carried out in coordination with the Egyptian authorities.
According to The New York Times, the attack came after an Egyptian warning which prompted the Israelis to temporarily close Eilat airport last Thursday. The newspaper pointed out that this was a sign of a new and important level of cooperation between the two old enemies after the military coup that deposed Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi.