In one of the worst militant attacks in Egypt’s recent history, Egypt’s security forces battled with militants belonging to the Islamic State affiliated Sinai State, previously known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis. The Sinai State laid siege to the town of Sheikh Zuweid, with additional attacks in Arish, carrying out a series of coordinated attacks.

Suzanne Gaber is an intern at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

Image: Photo: Smoke rises in Egypt's North Sinai as seen from the border of southern Gaza Strip with Egypt July 1, 2015. Islamic State militants launched a wide-scale coordinated assault on several military checkpoints in Egypt's North Sinai on Wednesday. (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)