The Egyptian Air Force has pounded Islamist targets in the northern and central parts of the Sinai Peninsula in a massive offensive aimed at crushing a local insurgency, Egyptian officials said. The military aircraft struck “terrorist concentrations and hideouts” in the area through the night and in the early hours of Saturday, Reuters reports, citing the officials. The Egyptian Special Forces that were acting together with police also conducted raids in the Sinai cities targeting the militants, Egyptian military spokesman Colonel Tamer al-Rifai said. The operation is also expected to cover some parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert region that also witnessed militants’ activity.