Mohamed Abu Eitta – Anadolu Agency
SINAI
At least five people were killed on Friday in an attack on a missile launch pad belonging to Jihadists in the North Sinai city of Rafah, amid conflicting reports about the bombing.
An Egyptian security source said a military helicopter struck the missile launch pad in Al-Arjaa district in southern Rafah.
According to the source, a military helicopter spotted a number of gunmen in Al-Arjaa district moving toward the launch pad.
"The site was immediately bombed and five gunmen killed," the source told Anadolu Agency.
The dead gunmen were then taken by other armed men to an unknown location, said the security source.
But sources close to Jihadist groups in Sinai said that an Israeli plane was behind the attack.
The sources added that the attack struck shortly as Jihadists were planning to fire missiles at Israeli targets.
“The bombing left elements of Jihadist groups dead as they prepared to fire missiles into Israel,” the sources said.
The missiles and the dead bodies were moved to an undisclosed location, added the sources.
As of the filing of this report, there was no official comment from Israel.
Earlier today, a military spokesman said via Facebook that two explosions had been heard in Al-Arjaa, stressing that "steps were now being taken aimed at determining the cause of the blasts."
Local residents had earlier reported hearing powerful explosions in the area.
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula enjoyed an atypically peaceful day on Thursday, which coincided with the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the three-day feast that follows the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
The peninsula, situated near Egypt's borders with Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, has seen almost daily attacks by unknown assailants since the army's July 3 ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi.
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