Senior officers in Israel have stated that at this stage, ISIS is a remote enemy that does not regard Israel as its most important target, certainly not in the short term
Terrorist activity by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has increased in recent weeks. Presumably the organization’s growing activity in Sinai, which is spilling over into Egyptian cities, is affected by the tightening of its relations with non-Egyptian terrorist organizations, headed by ISIS and Salafi jihadi affiliates from the Gaza Strip, and constitutes a strong challenge to the sense of security and stability of the el-Sisi regime. This is the background to the recently heightened activity by the Egyptian army against terrorism in Sinai. Relations between Egypt and the US have recently tightened, and the US is set to supply Apache helicopters to President al-Sisi’s army as an expression of partnership between the two countries in the campaign against terrorism.
