Egyptian military reinforcements arrive in Sinai

Egyptianmilitary reinforcements arrived in the North Sinai city of Al-Arish, a military source told the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday. The source said that 13 armored vehicles, 13 tanks, two personnel carriers and two military jeeps had arrived in the city, declining to provide further details. Egypt's lawless  Sinai region has suffered a spate of violence since elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by themilitary on July 3. Gunmen attacked three military checkpoints and a police station in the city in the early hours of Tuesday. No casualties were reported. At least 28 people, both civilian and security personnel, have been killed in militant attacks in the restive peninsula since Morsi's ouster. Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier that Israel had permitted the Egyptian army to dispatch additional troops to Sinai to combat militant activity, in light of mounting political tension in recent days. The Egypt-Israel Camp David peace treaty places strict limitations on Egyptian forces deployed in the peninsula. The Egyptian army is reportedly preparing a major offensive in Sinai against armed groups believed to have launched recent attacks in the region. The army relies heavily on US-made Apache helicopter gunships to hunt down gunmen in Sinai, while the latter often use motorcycles to flee after carrying out attacks.