Egyptian president visits troops in embattled N. Sinai

"President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inspected troops and police in the North Sinai," his office said Saturday after the Sinai Province branch of ISIS launched its biggest attack in years on Egyptian forces. The battle starting last Wednesday left hundreds of dead and wounded. DEBKAfile: Clad in military fatigues, El-Sisi flew in from Cairo to inspect the Egyptian command center at El Arish and after two hours returned to the capital. Our sources report that the fighting around Abu Zuwaid continued into its third day Saturday. In northern Sinai, Egyptian military also intercepted half a ton of explosives bound by tunnel for the Gaza Strip, where it was destined to be used for manufacturing bombs and smuggled back into the peninsula for use against Egyptian forces. The tunnel was blown up.