Gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel, Jordan bombed for 13th time

About a week after its latest repairs were completed, it happened again.

Security officials say militants have again blown up a gas pipeline in the Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to Israel.

The attack on the pipeline is the 13th since the popular uprising that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak last year.

Police officials said gunmen attacked the pipeline in the north Sinai city of Arish on Monday. There were no details on the extent of damage. Previous explosions have shut down gas flow for days or weeks.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police rules.

Six gunmen placed two sets of explosives about 15 meters apart from each other near El Arish.

And Jordan is hurt more by these acts than Israel is, as the kingdom is scrambling to retool their electric generators to run on more expensive oil and diesel.

In a couple of years, Israel should be in a position to export natural gas to Jordan. It will be interesting to see if Jordan will think it is worth it.

According to Wikipedia, the Jordanian gas line also goes to Lebanon and Syria, with planned extensions to Turkey. I have not read anything about how Syria or Lebanon are affected by these repeated explosions; perhaps the amount of gas they get is much smaller.