Israel has warned citizens visiting the Sinai Peninsula to leave the area immediately and those planning on visiting to change their plans over fears of attacks coinciding with Wednesday's anniversary of Egypt's 2011 uprising.

Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu's counterterrorism office said there was a "very high concrete threat level" on the sixth anniversary of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

Unlike past Jan. 25 anniversaries marred by deadly clashes between police and protesters, this one has been mostly quiet, with the deployment of a larger-than-usual number of security forces in Cairo and elsewhere in the country.

Sinai, with its pristine beaches and Red Sea coral reefs, is a popular tourist destination. However, the northern part of the strategic region has for years been home to an insurgency dominated by Islamic militants, who have carried out occasional attacks on tourist sites in the south that are frequented by Israeli and other tourists.

Read more: New York Times