JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel has given Egypt permission to move two infantry units into the Sinai Peninsula to fight against terror activity.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon gave the approval on Tuesday in response to a request from the Egyptian Army a day after an attack by Islamist terrorists on a bus of cement factory workers in northern Sinai that left three dead.
The forces will deploy in El-Arish and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Under the terms of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Egypt must ask Israel for authorization before sending troops into the Sinai.
Egypt received authorization for troop movement in the Sinai earlier this month, and has asked for such authorization repeatedly since unrest in the country began in early 2011.
Islamist terrorists have launched daily attacks on Egyptian troops and security officials in the Sinai over the past two weeks.
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