President El-Sisi, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, directed the Armed Forces to continue security operations in order to eliminate all forms of terrorism, according to a video published by the Egyptian presidency.

The SCAF meeting came one day after the Armed Forces announced the death of an officer and ten soldiers and the injury of five others as it foiled a terrorist attack on a water-lifting station east of the Suez Canal in Sinai.

In a statement on Saturday, the Armed Forces asserted that the terrorists that fled the scene of the attack are currently being hunted down and are besieged in an isolated area in Sinai.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which is the first major attack of its kind in recent years.

The SCAF meeting reviewed the fallout from the attack that targeted a number of Armed Forces personnel who were performing their patriotic duty.

The meeting also reviewed the measures taken to hunt down and eliminate the fugitive takfiri elements.

El-Sisi also praised the Armed Forces’ efforts to uproot terrorism in Sinai and dry up its sources in cooperation with the honourable people of Sinai, the video statement said.

The president also praised the Armed Forces’ efforts to implement various giant national projects in cooperation with all other state institutions.

El-Sisi affirmed to the SCAF the Egyptian people’s appreciation of the sacrifices made by army and police personnel to safeguard the nation's sanctities, the statement added.

The meeting also reviewed a number of files and issues related to the activities and duties of the Armed Forces as well as its efforts to protect the country's national security on all strategic fronts.

Saturday's terrorist attack is the first major attack of its kind in Sinai in recent years.

Terrorist attacks in North Sinai have declined in recent years following massive and successive security and military operations.

These attacks targeted security forces, particularly at military and police checkpoints, as well as civilians, causing hundreds of casualties.

Meanwhile, hundreds of of terrorists were killed in anti-terror military operations, according to periodical Armed Forces reports.

In 2018, the Armed Forces launched a major counter-terrorist drive, Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, that has succeeded in almost eradicating terrorism from North Sinai as well as the Nile Delta and desert areas.