Media reports of an unidentified group exploding a bomb on Sunday, damaging the pipeline carrying natural gas from Israel to Egypt, were denied by Israeli authorities.
Al Jazeera reported that the attack targeted a section of the pipeline located in the Bir al-Abd coastal region in the northern Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian security officials confirmed at least 6 militants were involved in the attack
The Israeli energy minister Yuval Steinitz, issued a statement shortly after the report of the attack, saying that the flow of natural gas in the pipeline currently continues undisturbed.
“At the moment, the natural gas is flowing from Israel through the pipeline and reaching Egypt,” the statement read. “The ministry looked into the reported explosion, such as it was, in coordination with all relevant authorities.”
A statement released by the pipeline’s owner-companies which include Israel’s Delek Drilling and the U.S. firm Noble Energy denied any reports of an attack and said that the flow of natural gas in the pipeline to Egypt continues as usual.
“There has not been any damage to the EMG pipeline connecting Israel and Egypt,” the statement read. “The flow of gas from Leviathan to Egypt is continuing as normal.”
The pipeline transferring natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan was completed in 2008. It was attacked at least 15 times between 2011-2012 after an uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The deal selling gas to Israel was unpopular in Egypt and was discontinued.
The Leviathan gas field is a large natural gas field located in the Mediterranean Sea about 81 miles west of Haifa in waters 4,900 feet deep. Leviathan is one of the world’s larger offshore gas finds of the past decade and according to some commentators, the gas find has the potential to change Israel’s foreign relations with neighboring countries Turkey, and Egypt. Even by conservative estimates, Leviathan holds enough gas to meet Israel’s domestic needs for 40 years.
The field began commercial production in late December and two weeks later, natural gas began flowing from Israel to Egypt.
