JERUSALEM — Egyptian attack helicopters and troops reportedly struck and killed at least 20 terrorists in the Sinai.

The strikes on Wednesday morning were in retaliation for the deaths of at least 15 Egyptian policemen in an attack at the Rafah security checkpoint in Sinai, in which the terrorists also attempted to infiltrate Israel.

The strikes also come hours after late Tuesday night clashes between armed terrorists and Egyptian soldiers at several Sinai checkpoints and in Rafah, according to Reuters.

The terrorists hiding places were located with the help of Sinai residents, the Egyptian Interior Ministry announced, according to Reuters.

Egypt has not announced the identity of the terrorists, but Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that the terrorists were members of the Global Jihadi terror group.

The Israel Defense Forces were not informed about the strikes, Ynet reported.