The Armed Forces added that the “heroic operations” of the law enforcement forces led to the death of seven terrorists.

The incident comes amid a more comprehensive operation, which has been ongoing since Saturday 7 May in the isolated areas adjacent to the national border, against terrorist forces in response to the killing of Egyptian security personnel and in line with the national constants of the Armed Forces in maintaining the security and stability of the country, according to the statement.

The army stated that another seven terrorists were killed in an air raid at a terrorist hideout on Wednesday dawn, adding that earlier on Saturday an air strike was launched killing nine terrorists and destroying a number of terrorist hideouts.

The army confiscated a number of automatic guns, ammunition, hand grenades and wireless devices as well as other weapons during the raid on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the 7 May attack in which an officer and 10 soldiers were killed.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi headed a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) where he directed the Armed Forces to continue purging North Sinai of terrorists.

The rate of terrorist attacks in North Sinai has declined in the past few years following massive and successive security and military operations.

The Islamic State’s branch in North Sinai, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in North Sinai in the past decade.

The operation on Saturday was the first major terrorist attack in Egypt in recent years.

In 2018, the Armed Forces launched a major counter-terrorist drive, dubbed Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, that succeeded in almost eradicating terrorism from North Sinai as well as the Nile Delta and desert areas.