Gas pipeline to Israel, Jordan blown up in Egypt

CAIRO - The gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan in Egypt's Arish was bombed in the wee hours on Sunday, a local security source told Xinhua.

About ten armed men put the explosives under the pipeline, west of Arish in the north of the Sinai peninsula and bombed it at around 1 a.m. on Sunday (2300 GMT Saturday), said the source. The explosion caused a blaze as there was gas in the pipeline.

A Xinhua reporter, who lives in Arish town, said he heard a big explosion and saw high flames at the site, about 10 km from his house.

No casualties were reported in the explosion.

This was the 12th explosion targeting the pipeline since February 2011.

Prior to the repeated explosions of the pipeline, Egypt provided 80 percent of Jordan's natural gas for power and about 40 percent of Israel's for the same purpose.