We don’t know exactly which terrorists these are in El-Arish. But it would be shortsighted to assume that it must be an Iranian-sponsored effort. The same kind of jihadis – Arabs, Sunnis – who have been operating as insurgents in Libya and Syria are no doubt operating in the Sinai. Whether they are in league with Hamas, or have their own agenda, is also uncertain.
And that means that the strategic problem here is more complicated than the well-worn dynamic of Hamas, Israel, and the Western media. This isn’t the prelude to Cast Lead. The situation is different now: geography is in play, and Egypt and America are question marks. A great deal will depend on what it appears America is going to do.
Originally published at the Optimistic Conservative.