Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi confirmed that the Egyptian military was working with Israel to defeat ISIS in Sinai, on Wednesday during an interview with CBS.
When asked if cooperation with Israel was at its closest ever, the Egyptian President responded: “That is correct… we have a wide range of cooperation with the Israelis”.
Hundreds of Egyptians have been killed since 2013 by the ISIS affiliated group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis.
Since 2013, Israel has allowed additional Egyptian forces into the peninsula, beyond the level permitted under the 1979 security annex of the bilateral peace treaty between the two countries. Heavy weaponry, including tanks, artillery and attack helicopters, have been brought into Sinai to fight ISIS.
The New York Times reported, in February that Israel was carrying out a covert aerial campaign against ISIS targets in Sinai, with the Egyptian President’s blessing.
