( CNN ) -- Egypt 's military launched airstrikes in the country 's Sinai peninsula , killing 13 people who the military called `` extremists '' loyal to the Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood , state media reported . The Thursday night strikes hit four homes in the northern Sinai , state media reported Friday , citing military spokesman Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali . Details about what led to the attacks were n't immediately available . The strikes follow at least two recent deadly incidents on the peninsula . On January 25 , an Egyptian military helicopter crashed in the Sinai , killing five crew members . The military , which said the crew was targeting militants , did not comment on what caused the crash . The organization Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis , which the United States has designated a terrorist group , claimed responsibility on several al Qaeda-linked websites . The next day , unknown armed men attacked a bus carrying Egyptian soldiers , killing three troops and wounding 11 others , the state-run Middle East News Agency reported , citing a military official . Egypt 's interim military-backed government has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for many bomb attacks and shootings that have taken place in recent months . There was no immediate comment about Thursday 's airstrikes from the Muslim Brotherhood , which has publicly denounced violence and called for a peaceful revolution against the government . The government banned activies by the Muslim Brotherhood months after the military 's July coup that toppled then-President Mohamed Morsy , a former Muslim Brotherhood leader . Ousted Egyptian President Morsy back in court .
Airstrikes struck four homes in Egypt 's Sinai peninsula , military says . The airstrikes were carried out by the Egyptian Air Force and targeted a group of militants who had attacked security forces with rocket-propelled grenades on Sunday night.