Explosion Rocks Egypt Gas Terminal Near Israel

An explosion rocked a natural gas terminal near Egypt's border with Israel on Wednesday sending flames shooting into the air and forcing the shutdown of the country's export pipeline, said security officials.

It was the second attack in the past month on the al-Sabil terminal near the town of El-Arish just 50 kilometers from the border with Israel. On March 27 gunmen planted explosives at the terminal, that failed to detonate.

The valves controlling the flow of gas from the main terminal in Port Said on the Mediterranean coast were shut down to stifle the flames, which sent residents scurrying from their homes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

On Feb. 5, an explosion at a different section of the pipeline severed gas exports to neighboring Israel and Jordan for a month.

Security forces often clash with the Bedouin tribesmen in the Sinai Peninsula, who complain of being neglected and oppressed by the central government.

Tribesmen also attempted to sabotage the pipeline in July 2010.

On Tuesday, the state news agency reported that the main highway in the area was temporarily closed by protesting families of detainees before the army reopened it.

Egypt exports gas to Israel, Jordan and Syria, though lately the deals have come under attack because of the low price at which the gas is sold.

On April 13, the prime minister ordered a review of the pricing deals, which have been the subject of litigation in Egypt.

Jordan depends on Egyptian gas to generate 80 percent of its electricity. The halt to the flow would force the country to rely on more expensive diesel fuel to keep the country's power plants running.

Egypt has potential natural gas reserves of 1.7 trillion cubic meters, the 18th largest in the world.