Sabil natural gas terminal after an explosion near the town of El-Arish, 50 km from the border with Israel, early Wednesday. (AP) Country's gas export pipeline to Israel, Jordan forced to shut downEL-ARISH: Masked gunmen blew up a natural gas terminal near Egypt's border with Israel Wednesday, sending flames shooting into the air in the early hours of the morning and forcing the shutdown of the country's gas export pipeline to Israel and Jordan. It was the second attack in just the past month on the El-Sabil terminal near the Sinai Peninsula town of El-Arish just 50 km from Israel. On March 27, gunmen planted explosives at the terminal, but they failed to detonate. The flow of gas from the main terminal in Port Said on the Mediterranean coast was shut down to stifle the 65-foot flames, cutting gas exports to Israel and Jordan. No one has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Sinai Bedouins angered by what they see as the neglect of their areas by the central government or militants opposed to the export of natural gas to Israel. “Those who carried out the explosion have harmed the people of Sinai more than any others,” said Abdul-Wahab Mabrouk, Governor of North Sinai. He said the explosion also damaged the local power plant and gas leaks forced people to evacuate their homes. A security official said six masked gunmen arrived at the terminal in two pickup trucks without number plates and overpowered the eight guards on duty before ordering them to leave. They then planted the explosives, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Israel's Infrastructure Ministry spokeswoman Maya Etzioni confirmed the gas supply was cut off. In Jordan, which depends on Egyptian gas to generate 80 percent of its electricity, Energy Ministry spokesman Mahmoud Al-Ais said the country must use the more expensive oil for its power stations. Bedouin tribesmen in the El-Arish area have attacked the pipeline in the past, including on Feb. 5, when they blew up a section, stopping exports to Israel and Jordan for a month. They also attempted to sabotage the pipeline in July 2010.
