(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On Wednesday, Morsi sacked the country’s intelligence chief, the Republican Guard commander and the head of the military police after gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Israel on Sunday.
Morsi appointed General Mohamed Raafat Abdel Wahed Shehata as the new General Intelligence Directorate after ordering former intelligence chief Major General Murad Muwafi to step down.
Republican Guard commander Major General Samy Dyab was also replaced with Major General Mohamed Ahmed Zaki.
According to presidential spokesman Yassir Ali, Morsi also ordered Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to find a replacement for the head of the military police.
On the same day, the Egyptian president also fired Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, the governor of North Sinai, where the deadly attack took place.
Meanwhile Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil announced that Cairo has begun operations against militants in the region.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Egyptian Air Force reportedly pounded the hideouts of gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 20 of them.
On Tuesday, hundreds of Egyptians mourned the death of the soldiers during a military funeral service.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas say Israeli spy agency Mossad was behind the weekend attack.
The Muslim Brotherhood pointed to Tel Aviv’s travel advisory requesting its citizens to leave the Sinai Peninsula, which was issued a few days before the deadly incident occurred.
It said Mossad was trying to abort the Egyptian revolution and it was "imperative to review clauses" of the agreement between Egypt and Israel.
However, Israeli and Egyptian military officials say gunmen from the besieged Gaza Strip were behind the attack.
Morsi has pledged to strongly respond to the "cowardly attacks," vowing that the assailants would pay dearly for the deadly attacks.
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