Army commanders said as many as 20 "terrorists" had died in the offensive launched after suspected Islamist militants killed 16 Egyptian border guards on Sunday and drove a stolen armored car into Israel which was then destroyed by Israeli forces. Image caption A heavy military presence is building up in al-Arish 
 
 Egypt has deployed extra troops, tanks and other armoured vehicles to the Sinai peninsula in an escalation of its military offensive in the area. According to Nile News TV, violent clashes had broken out between police and armed men outside a police station in the town. There were further attacks on checkpoints in al-Arish on Wednesday, which left a number of people wounded. According to military officials, 20 people were killed in the village of Touma, while the Sheikh Zuwaid area to the west was also hit. Residents in al-Arish welcomed the security sweep, seeing it as an opportunity to curb criminality among Bedouin, including those in Sheikh Zuwaid, where many make a living smuggling goods and people through more than 1,000 tunnels into Gaza.
– Egypt's offensive in Sinai is growing. Yesterday saw missiles fired following a series of attacks on government forces; today, officials are sending troops and armored vehicles, including tanks, to the peninsula. Meanwhile, the military is closing off illegal tunnels across the border into Gaza; the 1,200 passageways, typically used by smugglers, are thought to have provided an escape for the militants who attacked soldiers on Sunday, the BBC reports. Local television earlier reported new fighting in Sinai, but a security insider later clarified the incident, saying a man driving an unlicensed car had been firing into the air.