Egypt launches 'revenge' airstrikes on ISIS in Sinai

New York: The Egyptian military has launched airstrikes on "terrorist positions" in the Sinai Peninsula after a dozen of its soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack on a military checkpoint earlier on Friday.

According to an army statement released on Saturday, the three-hour air operation targeted several concentrations of militants, destroyed ammunition and weapons storage facilities, destroyed seven vehicles and killed an unspecified number of militants, reports the CNN.

While the military did not specifically name the group, the ISIS had claimed responsibility for Friday`s attack that left at least 12 soldiers and 15 of the assailants dead.

It`s the latest attack in a battle for control over the Sinai Peninsula between Islamist militants and Egyptian forces.

Militancy in the Sinai has increased significantly after the army toppled President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.