The Islamic State branch, Wilayat Sinai (or Wilayat Sina) based in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, is planning to carry out a ‘big operation’ that includes an attack on Eilat, a resort city in southern Israel located on the Red Sea. Abu al-Ayna al-Ansari, a senior official in the Salafist movement, specifically mentioned Israel and the United States as its ‘chief targets.’ He said,
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“The Islamic State educates its people that Israel and the United States are the leaders of the infidels and we believe that Israel should be disappeared. [The Wilayat Sinai] will be the pioneers in this confrontation with Israel. It is only a question of time when there will be a big operation in Eilat and in the south of Israel.“
Colonel Yehuda Cohen, the commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Sagi Brigade operating on the border with Egypt, acknowledged that it’s only a matter of time before Islamic State carries out a terrorist attack against Israel. He said,
“In the end it must be remembered this organization was formed by terrorists that dream of a terror attack against Israel, and it will come. It’s clear that there will be a terror attack against Israel, I believe that it will happen during my tenure. I teach my people to expect it to come tomorrow, to always be ready for it. When it happens, my doctrine is that we must strike a very strong blow at the same point and ensure that there are zero successful actions for the enemy.”
Wilayat Sinai is the same Islamic State branch that claimed responsibility for the the downing of a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015 that killed 224 and who’s commander, Shadi Al-Mani’i, met with the terror group Hamas only a few months ago to expand its terror cooperation between the two factions.
How could Israel stop Islamic State from attacking? Do you think this would be part of a larger, coordinated multi-country attack by Islamic State? Sound off in the comments below!
