Egyptian army says it killed 60 militants in Sinai

In a Facebook post detailing the outcome of the operation, Brigadier General Mohammed Samir said that "counterterrorism units backed by the air force" had "killed 60 terrorists, wounded another 40 and destroyed 27 four-wheel [drive] pick-up trucks south of Rafah and Sheikh Zayed."

This escalation in operations by the Egyptian army comes just days after 15 policemen were killed in an IS mortar attack on a Sinai security checkpoint.

Militant activity in Egypt's Sinai region has risen dramatically since the ouster of Islamist President Mohammad Morsi in 2013.

The local IS group affiliate has launched numerous attacks against government forces despite an increased military presence in the peninsula.

Islamic State group attacks have caused the deaths of hundreds of soldiers and policemen in the region, with the group also having claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian airliner in 2015.

Since the increase in violence in Sinai, Egypt's tourism industry, which accounted for around 13 percent of the country's GDP in 2014, has suffered hugely.

According to a statement by Egypt's Tourism Ministry in January, the country's tourism sector has been losing EGP 2.2 billion ($283 million) per month since the Russian plane crash.