Egyptian security officials say saboteurs have attacked a pipeline carrying natural gas into neighboring Israel and Jordan from the northern Sinai Peninsula.

The attack took place early Monday near the town of Bir el-Abd when men with machine guns forced guards at a station along the pipeline to leave, then planted explosives which they activated remotely.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the blast, which forced a shutdown in the flow of gas.

This is the third time armed gangs have attacked the pipeline since February, when an uprising toppled former president Hosni Mubarak and power was handed over to a military council.

Previous explosions in February and April closed the pipeline for weeks.