Blast rocks Egypt's gas pipeline to Israel

Cairo, 22 Jul – (ANA) - An explosion today rocked the Egyptian pipeline built to carry natural gas to Israel and Jordan, the 15th time it has been attacked since the start of the uprising in early 2011 that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The blast occurred at al-Tuwail, east of the coastal Sinai town of al-Arish, at a point before the pipeline splits into separate branches to Israel and Jordan, security officials and witnesses said. Gunmen in a small truck drove up to the pipeline, dug a hole and placed explosive charges under the pipeline that they detonated from a distance, a security official and witnesses said. A large boom echoed across the area and residents up to 30 km (18 miles) away said later they could see flames of burning gas lighting the sky. An official in the company that manages the pipeline said exports of gas to both Israel and Jordan had been halted since an explosion that hit the pipeline in April and that the flames were caused by residual gas. (ANA)

FA/ANA/22 July 2012--------