Gunfire rings out in the streets of the Egyptian city of El Arish overnight on Thursday, sending crowds scrambling for cover.<br/> <br />This assault was one of a series of attacks in the nation's restive Sinai region by Islamist forces.<br/> <br />Security sources report a soldier was killed and two others wounded when a police station came under fire in Rafah.<br/> <br />Earlier, attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades at army checkpoints guarding El Arish airport.<br/> <br />The army are on high alert, but did not declare a state of emergency as had been reported by one state newspaper.<br/> <br />The incidents prompted Egypt to close the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, angering local residents who have no other route out of the besieged strip.<br/> <br />It was not immediately clear if the attacks were coordinated or in reaction to the military's decision to overthrow President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday.
