JERUSALEM, Jun 4 (NNN-MA’AN) – Two Israeli soldiers and one “assailant” were killed yesterday, in a shootout adjacent to the border between Israel and Egypt, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said, in a statement.
An assailant, who was in Israeli territory, opened fire at the troops and was “neutralised” by the soldiers, said the statement, without revealing the identity of the gunman.
The IDF is conducting inspections in the area, it added, noting more exchanges of fire took place on the border, hours after the security incident.
Such confrontations along the Israel-Egypt border are rare, as the two countries maintained close security ties, under a peace agreement signed by the two sides in 1979.
The Israeli military frequently carried out search-and-arrest operations on the common border, to prevent drug and weapons smuggling. In 2014, Israel completed the construction of a 242-km barrier, along the shared border with Egypt, in an attempt to stop illegal labour migration from African countries into Israel.– NNN-MA’AN
