Former Egyptian Ambassador to Iraq, Sayyid Abū Zayd stated that ISIS has sent some of its militants to Egypt during the past few months, as it considers Sinai to be a part of the Levant. Samīr Ghattas, head of the Middle East Forum for Strategic Studies, stated that former president Mursī has permitted about four thousand Egyptian citizens to go to Syria and fight alongside ISIS against Bashār al-Assad’s army (Mahmūd Kamāl, al-Dustūr, June 18, p. 1).