Saboteurs blast Egypt gas pipeline

A protestor holds a sign during a demonstration outside the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut yesterday, in support of the 12th day of protests in Egypt calling for the immediate resignation on President Hosni Mubarak following 30 years of his regime.Photo: AFP

Saboteurs attacked an Egyptian gas pipeline to Jordan yesterday, forcing authorities to switch off supplies from a twin pipeline to Israel, an official said, as anti-regime protests raged in Cairo.
Attackers used explosives against the pipeline in the town of Lihfen in northern Sinai, near the Gaza Strip, the official told AFP. It was initially thought the pipeline to Israel was targeted.
"The pipeline to Jordan has been attacked and the supply to Israel has been cut off," the official said.
The army has taken precautionary measures to stop the fire from spreading, the official added, as rescue services were putting out the flames.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible, or whether the attack was linked to the deadly protests against President Hosni Mubarak's rule, which entered their 12th day yesterday
A broad swathe of Egypt's opposition, including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, as well as public opinion, has called for Cairo to stop supplying Israel with gas.
Egypt supplies about 40 percent of Israel's natural gas, and in December, four Israeli firms signed 20-year contracts worth up to 10 billion dollars (7.4 billion euros) to import Egyptian gas.
Israel has suspended imports of Egyptian gas "for security reasons," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
The Israeli defence ministry said that it had strengthened security around its gas installations following the attack.
In Jordan, an official told AFP that the cut would cost the country -- the only other Arab nation besides Egypt to have signed a peace treaty with Israel -- 3.5 million dollars a day.
Jordan imports 6.8 million cubic metres of Egyptian gas a day, which, when burnt, accounts for 80 percent of Jordan's electricity needs, the official said, adding that he expected supplies to resume "in three or four days."
Saturday's attack came after Israel expressed concern that its natural gas supplies from Egypt could be threatened if a new regime takes power in Cairo.