International incidents Comprehensive Operation − Sinai 2018 (Arabic: العملية الشاملة − سيناء 2018)[n 1] is the code name of a large counter-terrorism campaign conducted by the Egyptian Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry.
Asharq Al-Awsat, citing an unnamed security source, reported on 16 January that the deployments intensified in Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah in the past ten days, where authorities, backed by special forces, increased their gathering of intelligence through local pro-government tribal agents, UAVs and night vision devices.
According to Mada Masr, vehicles with license plates from North Sinai were restricted from passing through the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel, thereby limiting the entry of supplies to the region's shop owners.
[4] In the early morning hours of February 9, the day COS 2018 was launched, security forces shut down the North Sinai Coastal Road linking all the major cities and towns in the region, which had all their entrances barred to anyone entering or leaving.
[5][6] At around 11:15 a.m. on February 9, Col. Tamer el-Refai, the military's spokesman, announced in a statement on state-run television, titled "Communique 1 from the General Command of the Armed Forces", the launching of Comprehensive Operation – Sinai 2018.