Cairo says security an internal matter

CAIRO, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Security issues in the Sinai Peninsula are an internal affair for the Egyptians, an official with the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces said.

Militants crossed the Egyptian border into Israel last week, killing at least seven people in a series of raids. The attackers were allegedly wearing Egyptian military uniforms.

The attack brought a harsh response from Israel.

Osama Haikal, the information minister with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, said, "The security of Sinai is an Egyptian internal affair and Egypt does not accept any interference in this respect," the state-run Egypt State Information Service reports.

The attack was allegedly carried out in coordination with a group calling itself al-Qaida in the Egyptian Sinai, though it was unclear if the group has working ties with al-Qaida central or Hamas.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's new leader who hails from Egypt, called on sympathizers in a recent message to exploit the post-revolutionary political situation in Egypt by installing Islamic law in the country.

Cairo and Israel during the weekend tried to defuse tensions in the wake of last week's attacks, though some Egyptian officials called to end the peace accord with Israel.

Egypt is facing internal pressure from demonstrators frustrated with the pace of reform following the country's revolution early this year.