JERUSALEM, Israel - The government's Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a warning late Thursday for "all Israelis in the Sinai to leave immediately and return to Israel."

The warning cited "reliable and current intelligence" information that the Army of Islam, a Gaza-based Palestinian terror group affiliated with al-Qaeda, plans to kidnap Israelis vacationing in the Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

The luxurious seaside resorts in the Sinai are a favorite vacation destination for Israelis, who more often than not ignore the warnings.

According to the bureau, last week's targeted assassination of Mohammed Namnam, 27, a senior Army of Islam commander responsible for numerous terror attacks against Israelis, was part of a Shin Bet's (Israeli Security Agency) operation to weaken the group.

Time Magazine speculated that Egypt provided information on Namnam's whereabouts after its security forces detained several Army of Islam insurgents operating in the Sinai.

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AP contributed to this report.