...

One dead in firefight along Israel-Egypt border

Israel Materials 28 February 2012 11:39 (UTC +04:00)
Israeli troops shot and killed an infiltrator along the border with Egypt early Tuesday, the army said in a statement sent to Xinhua.
One dead in firefight along Israel-Egypt border

Israeli troops shot and killed an infiltrator along the border with Egypt early Tuesday, the army said in a statement sent to Xinhua.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops spotted 15 suspects in the overnight incident after they had already entered Israeli territory, according to Israel's Army Radio.

"The soldiers called on them to stop, and when the suspects failed to comply, the soldiers acted in accordance with IDF rules of engagement. The suspects fired at the soldiers, who returned fire and identified a hit," according to the IDF Spokesman's Office.

"Most of the suspects fled back to Egyptian territory, excluding one who remained injured in Israeli territory. Upon the arrival of an IDF medical force to the location of the incident, they determined the death of the injured suspect," the army said.

There were no injuries to troops in the incident.

The incident comes one day after troops discovered and foiled an attempt by infiltrators to set a bomb along the border, either for use against military patrols, or for smuggling into Israel for an attack against civilians.

Last Monday, a joint army-police anti-smuggling patrol found a "powerful explosive device," hurled by a smuggler over the border fence.

The army has sharply increased patrols and electronic monitoring along the 240-km desert border, due to a spike in security events and increased infiltration attempts.

Tags:
Latest

Latest