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Egyptian military
helicopters have fired missiles on suspected Islamist militants in the
northern Sinai peninsula, security officials say.
Twenty people were reported killed in Touma village, while the Sheikh Zuwaid area to the west was also hit.
The strikes came after security checkpoints were allegedly
attacked by gunmen in the town of al-Arish, leaving a number of people
injured.
On Sunday, militants killed 16 Egyptian border guards in the area.
After that attack - the deadliest and most brazen against
Egyptian troops in this border region for decades - Israeli forces said
they killed some of the militants who broke through into Israel.
There has been a heavy military build-up around al-Arish,
correspondents report, and Egypt's Rafah border crossing to Gaza has
been indefinitely closed as security forces hunt the remaining
attackers.
Egypt is also reported to have begun sealing off the illicit smuggling tunnels into Gaza.
Operations 'ongoing'
This is the first time Egypt has fired missiles in Sinai since
the 1973 war with Israel, when it attempted to recapture the Sinai
peninsula, security officials told Associated Press.
Egyptian military presence in Sinai is limited and requires
Israeli approval under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the
nations which returned Sinai to Egyptian control.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor
Egypt's President Mursi promised he would re-impose "full
control" of Sinai. It's been increasingly lawless since the revolution
in Egypt last year.
The area in Sinai where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza
meet has become a hotbed of smuggling - through the tunnels into
Palestinian Gaza. It is a place where jihadists are said to be
operating, with an eye on attacking Israel.
Violence here could threaten the peace treaty between the two
countries. That's why Israel has told Egypt to put its house in order,
rather than taking action itself.
But the Egyptian raid on what it called "terrorists" won't
change much on its own. Sinai is a poor and neglected region, with
independent-minded Bedouin tribes. It is an inviting place for groups
that want to use the lack of central control to attack across the border
into Israel.
Tensions are very high in the
area, where Islamic extremists are said to have gained a foothold in
recent months, taking advantage of the security vacuum left after former
President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year, reports the BBC's Yolande
Knell in Sinai.
A Sinai army commander told Reuters news agency the army had received information that there were many militants in Touma.
"We have succeeded in entering Touma, killed 20 terrorists
and destroyed three armoured cars belonging to terrorists. Operations
are still ongoing," he told Reuters. State television also reported the
deaths.
The attacks came hours after three security checkpoints were attacked in the main regional town of al-Arish.
Locals said rounds of gunfire could be heard just before midnight and telephone lines and the Internet were cut off.
At least four people - including police officers and a civilian - were wounded in those attacks.
The Egyptian soldiers killed in Sunday's attack were buried on Tuesday in a funeral marked by angry calls for vengeance.
Some protesters chanted slogans against the Muslim
Brotherhood, and according to witnesses, tried to assault Prime Minister
Hisham Qandil.
'Charred bodies'
Both Israeli and Egyptian officials blamed Sunday's attack on
Islamist militants - though Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the group to
which President Mohammed Mursi belongs, accused the Israeli spy agency
Mossad of being responsible.
There were angry scenes at the funeral for the 16 dead Egyptian soldiers on Tuesday
Israel rejected that claim as "nonsense".
On Tuesday, Israel handed Egypt six "completely charred"
bodies it says are some of the militants behind Sunday's attack on the
Egyptian soldiers, a medical official in al-Arish told AFP news agency.
The bodies have not yet been identified.
Israel has signalled its approval of Egypt's strikes on
Wednesday, with senior defence official Amos Gilad telling Israel Radio
that Egypt was determined to "impose order in Sinai because that is
their responsibility... If they don't remove and uproot [the threat], it
will continue to strike".
The rising violence in the area is a test of credibility for the government of President Mursi, correspondents say.
Although it is clear that Israel has approved the build-up of
troops around al-Arish, Israel has historically been reluctant to see a
large increase in Egyptian troops close to its border.
helicopters have fired missiles on suspected Islamist militants in the
northern Sinai peninsula, security officials say.
Twenty people were reported killed in Touma village, while the Sheikh Zuwaid area to the west was also hit.
The strikes came after security checkpoints were allegedly
attacked by gunmen in the town of al-Arish, leaving a number of people
injured.
On Sunday, militants killed 16 Egyptian border guards in the area.
After that attack - the deadliest and most brazen against
Egyptian troops in this border region for decades - Israeli forces said
they killed some of the militants who broke through into Israel.
There has been a heavy military build-up around al-Arish,
correspondents report, and Egypt's Rafah border crossing to Gaza has
been indefinitely closed as security forces hunt the remaining
attackers.
Egypt is also reported to have begun sealing off the illicit smuggling tunnels into Gaza.
Operations 'ongoing'
This is the first time Egypt has fired missiles in Sinai since
the 1973 war with Israel, when it attempted to recapture the Sinai
peninsula, security officials told Associated Press.
Egyptian military presence in Sinai is limited and requires
Israeli approval under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the
nations which returned Sinai to Egyptian control.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor
Egypt's President Mursi promised he would re-impose "full
control" of Sinai. It's been increasingly lawless since the revolution
in Egypt last year.
The area in Sinai where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza
meet has become a hotbed of smuggling - through the tunnels into
Palestinian Gaza. It is a place where jihadists are said to be
operating, with an eye on attacking Israel.
Violence here could threaten the peace treaty between the two
countries. That's why Israel has told Egypt to put its house in order,
rather than taking action itself.
But the Egyptian raid on what it called "terrorists" won't
change much on its own. Sinai is a poor and neglected region, with
independent-minded Bedouin tribes. It is an inviting place for groups
that want to use the lack of central control to attack across the border
into Israel.
Tensions are very high in the
area, where Islamic extremists are said to have gained a foothold in
recent months, taking advantage of the security vacuum left after former
President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year, reports the BBC's Yolande
Knell in Sinai.
A Sinai army commander told Reuters news agency the army had received information that there were many militants in Touma.
"We have succeeded in entering Touma, killed 20 terrorists
and destroyed three armoured cars belonging to terrorists. Operations
are still ongoing," he told Reuters. State television also reported the
deaths.
The attacks came hours after three security checkpoints were attacked in the main regional town of al-Arish.
Locals said rounds of gunfire could be heard just before midnight and telephone lines and the Internet were cut off.
At least four people - including police officers and a civilian - were wounded in those attacks.
The Egyptian soldiers killed in Sunday's attack were buried on Tuesday in a funeral marked by angry calls for vengeance.
Some protesters chanted slogans against the Muslim
Brotherhood, and according to witnesses, tried to assault Prime Minister
Hisham Qandil.
'Charred bodies'
Both Israeli and Egyptian officials blamed Sunday's attack on
Islamist militants - though Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the group to
which President Mohammed Mursi belongs, accused the Israeli spy agency
Mossad of being responsible.
There were angry scenes at the funeral for the 16 dead Egyptian soldiers on Tuesday
Israel rejected that claim as "nonsense".
On Tuesday, Israel handed Egypt six "completely charred"
bodies it says are some of the militants behind Sunday's attack on the
Egyptian soldiers, a medical official in al-Arish told AFP news agency.
The bodies have not yet been identified.
Israel has signalled its approval of Egypt's strikes on
Wednesday, with senior defence official Amos Gilad telling Israel Radio
that Egypt was determined to "impose order in Sinai because that is
their responsibility... If they don't remove and uproot [the threat], it
will continue to strike".
The rising violence in the area is a test of credibility for the government of President Mursi, correspondents say.
Although it is clear that Israel has approved the build-up of
troops around al-Arish, Israel has historically been reluctant to see a
large increase in Egyptian troops close to its border.
