Egypt Troops Targeted in Sinai a Week after Deadly Blast

Seven Egyptian soldiers were wounded Friday in an explosion near El-Arish, a week after a deadly attack in the same area of the Sinai peninsula killed 30 soldiers, a security official said.

"Two officers and five soldiers were wounded in a bomb explosion against their vehicle south of El-Arish," the capital of North Sinai province, the source said.

The explosive device had been planted on a road used by army patrols and police.

On October 24, a suicide bomber killed 30 soldiers in the Sinai bordering the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian authorities on Wednesday began demolishing houses along its border with the Palestinian territory to set up a buffer zone.

Last week's attack was the deadliest targeting the security forces since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July last year.