Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi vowed to eradicate terrorists in northern Sinai and told the Egyptian army leaders that there was no alternative to defeating them and clearing the province from extremist groups. Sisi made his remarks on Sunday during the inauguration of the East of the Suez Canal Counter-Terrorism Command, in the presence of top state and army officials. Terrorist operations in Sinai have not been carried out in two or three years, according to Sisi, but have been orchestrated over more than 15 years within plans to take the country towards the abyss. “With all the efforts of the armed forces and the intelligence bodies, we are surprised that there are things we did not know,” he said. “Over the past three months, it was revealed that the size of the terrorists’ infrastructure - including equipment and preparations - was huge.” The Egyptian Army and interior ministry forces have launched extensive moves within the “Sinai Comprehensive Operation 2018,” which has covered the different parts of the country, according to reports by military officials. Several senior state and army officials attended Sunday’s inauguration event, including Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Minister of Defense Sodki Sobhi, Army Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid and others. A statement by Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said: “The inauguration of the Eastern Suez Canal counter-terrorism command comes within the framework of developing the Armed Forces’ capabilities to carry out their sacred duty of protecting the homeland with maximum efficiency.” “The president was briefed on the forces and the command’s facilities before he visited the East of the Canal Command’s headquarters, where tactics for Operation Sinai 2018 are planned,” the statement added. In what appeared to be a presidential response to media reports, mostly Israeli, about an exchange of land with Egypt that would allow the settlement of Palestinians in the Sinai, Sisi cautioned that no one would abandon Sinai. He explained: “No one misleads the Egyptians; this is our land, and we will allow no one to have ambitions in it, and will continue to build it.” In November Israeli Minister of Social Equality Gila Gamliel said that Sinai was “the best place for the Palestinians to live in.” Her statement caused a stir in Egypt, prompting Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to respond by asserting that Egyptian domestic affairs should not be “included in any statements by foreign parties most importantly when these statements touch Egyptian sovereignty.” “The Egyptian land of Sinai has been irrigated by the bloods of Egyptian martyrs who were killed while they were fighting for its liberation…Giving up on Sinai is not a matter of discussion,” Shoukry stated.