Fingers point in Sinai attack

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BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah denounced weekend attacks in Egypt but said Israel is the greatest threat to the region.

Unknown gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula killed 16 Egyptian troops before fleeing into Israel in stolen vehicles, The New York Times reports. Parts of Egypt, notably the Sinai Peninsula, have been lawless since the country's revolution in 2011.

Nasrallah, in a statement published by Hezbollah's media arm, denounced the attack but said it was the Israelis who would benefit the most from the lawlessness.

He noted that "the No. 1 threat for Israel in the world is Hezbollah."

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood said, in a statement, that "evidently" the attack may be the work of Israeli intelligence, "which has sought to abort the revolution ever since its launch."

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was quoted by the Times as saying Israel can rely "only" on itself for its national security needs.

"I hope that this will be a wake-up call for Egypt regarding the necessity to be sharp and efficient on their side," he said.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, during a swearing-in ceremony in July, said that while he was responsible for the military, the security regime would continue under its conventional duties.