Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has defended his decision to launch airstrikes in neighbouring Libya targeting fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

In an address broadcast on state television, Sisi said the operation was planned meticulously to avoid civilian casualties. He also thanked the Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait for supporting his country.
 
Finally, he accepted that innocent young people may be locked in Egypt's prisons and urged the Interior Ministry to look into.
 
Al Jazeera's Hyder Abbasi reports.