CAIRO, May 13 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's defence minister said it is necessary to continuously develop security strategies to confront ongoing criminal activity in Sinai, while touring the north of the peninsula on Wednesday. 

Minister Sedki Sobhi was joined by Interior Minister Magdi Abdel Ghaffar on the tour, the armed forces said in a statement. They inspected the sites of the police and military forces who are implementing plans put in place to contain and eliminate "terrorists" in Sinai, the statement read.

Sobhi told security personnel that it is necessary to preserve the highest degrees of vigilance and preparedness to confront "all threats" and potential hostilities.  

Egyptian security forces have been carrying out an intensified campaign to combat insurgency in the peninsula, with the armed forces announcing earlier this week that operations have left a total of 725 suspected militants killed between late October and late April.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since July 2013, with most attacks targeting security forces in North Sinai.

A state of emergency and a night-time curfew have been in place in parts of North Sinai since the October attacks.