Three conscripts and two citizens were killed in a mortar attack on a truck transporting water early Monday in Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, according to the Sinai Now TV channel’s Facebook page.

Four conscripts and three citizens were injured in the attack.

A few hours prior to the mortar attack, a bomb exploded near Sheikh Zuweid, but no casualties were reported.

The day before both attacks, the apartment of non-commissioned police officer Gamal Saad was bombed in Al-Sabeel district in North Sinai, but no casualties were reported. The residence was bombed after a number of unidentified suspects planted bombs under the three-storey building. Parts of three nearby buildings also sustained damages.

Militants and state security forces have been frequently clashing in Sinai, as a counter-insurgency operation was launched by the military to curb militancy. North Sinai has been under a state of emergency ever since these operations began.