Egypt’s gas pipeline to Israel hit again

Egypt’s gas pipeline to Israel was attacked for the 12th time in a year.

The Feb. 5 attack near El Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula came after masked gunmen planted explosives under the pipeline, security officials told the French news agency AFP. The pipeline also supplies gas to Jordan.

Gas delivery was halted after the attack. The supply of gas to Israel has been halted numerous times in the last year, leading to a scramble to find alternate fuel sources to produce electricity, which are more expensive.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Delek Group Ltd. said it has discovered what it estimates to be nearly 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in Israeli waters near the Lebanese border. Delek is working in cooperation with the U.S. company Noble Energy. — jta