ISIS affiliate in Sinai threatens to stop Jordan's natural gas supply

On January 8, the ISIS branch in Egypt, Sinai Province, attacked the El-Arish pipeline to Jordan, blowing up the pipeline which carries gas from Egypt to the Hashemite Kingdom.

By MAAYAN GROISMAN
Updated: JANUARY 14, 2016 18:20
DATE IMPORTED: February 05, 2012 A fire burns on a gas pipeline in the Massaeed area west of the Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish, North of Sinai, February 5, 2012. (photo credit: REUTERS)
DATE IMPORTED: February 05, 2012 A fire burns on a gas pipeline in the Massaeed area west of the Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish, North of Sinai, February 5, 2012.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
In the new volume of its weekly newspaper, Al-Nabah, released on Tuesday, ISIS directly threatened Jordan's king Abdullah II, saying that: "Jordan's apostate ruler will have natural gas only with the permission of Amir al-Mu'minin [ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]."
On January 8, the ISIS branch in Egypt, Sinai Province, attacked the El-Arish pipeline to Jordan, blowing up the pipeline which carries gas from Egypt to the Hashemite Kingdom. Since the Egyptian uprising of 2011, that vital pipeline has witnessed more than 30 attacks by terror organizations.
Following the attack, Sinai Province’s media institute released a statement on Twitter, claiming: "In a blessed operation, Islamic State soldiers attacked the pipeline that supplies natural gas to the apostate Jordanian government from the city of El-Arish.
The statement was ended with a promise that "not a single cubic foot of gas will reach the insignificant state of Jordan without the permission of Amir al-Mu'minin,"adding that: "The jihadists will continue attacking the interests of the apostate rulers in the Middle East and their economic facilities, which they ironically use to fight Islam and the Muslims."
ISIS’ Thursday attack on the pipeline might stand behind the concern voiced recently by senior Israeli official in the Ministry of Defense, Amos Gilad, for the stability of Jordan in light of ISIS’ growing presence in the region.