The flag of Egypt. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The Egyptian military has deployed a new infantry battalion near the Red Sea resort city of Taba, which borders the Israeli city of Eilat, to prevent possible terrorist attacks in the region.

According to Egyptian sources, the deployment was coordinated with Israel, Haaretz reported.

The 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty prohibits the deployment of military forces in the Sinai. But due to the ongoing increase of jihadist groups in the region, Israel has permitted Egyptian deployments several times over the last year.

Newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who previously served as defense minister, has launched a major offensive against jihadist groups in the Sinai. Earlier this year, five Egyptian soldiers were killed when a military helicopter was taken down by the Sinai terrorist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.