Israeli soldier killed in border attack: Egypt

By AFP Sep 21st, 2012 ( No Comment )

Cairo: An Israeli soldier was killed as three gunmen infiltrated the Jewish state from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula on Friday and one attacker blew himself up, an Egyptian security official told AFP.

“According to our information, an Israeli soldier was killed,” the source said of the attack in which the Israeli military said all three assailants also died.

The Israeli military confirmed the death of one of its soldiers. “I can confirm he is dead,” a military spokeswoman said, adding that another soldier had been “moderately injured” in the attack.

“Three gunmen infiltrated Israeli territory from central Sinai. Two were killed by the Israeli army, the third detonated the explosives vest he was wearing,” the Egyptian source said.

Israeli army spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters “a very big terror attack” had been averted.

The incident took place on the Israeli side of the frontier at a place called Har Harif which is almost half-way down Israel’s 240-kilometre (150-mile) border with Egypt’s Sinai.

“Three armed terrorist entered from the Sinai into Israel,” Leibovich said.

“They opened fire toward IDF (army) troops that were guarding the workers (building the fence) in that area. Another force that was nearby … rushed to the area and targeted those three terrorists,” she said.

“All three terrorists were killed.”