Unknown militants have detonated a section of a gas pipeline near the Egyptian city of el-Arish

Unknown militants have detonated a section of a gas pipeline near the Egyptian city of el-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai, security officials say.

The officials said that the explosion happened in the early hours of Tuesday.

Security forces have closed all roads leading to the site of the attack. The incident forced the national gas company to halt gas flow in the pipeline, used for the transfer of natural gas to Israel and Jordan.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack. But, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a militant group that pledged allegiance to the ISIL terrorist group last month, often carries out bombings and attacks in the restive Sinai Peninsula.