EGYPT/ISRAEL: In an event whose specifics are yet unknown, three Israeli soldiers and a security officer from Egypt were murdered on Saturday close to the country’s border. The nations said that they were jointly examining the situation.
The Israeli military said that an Egyptian policeman opened fire and killed two of its soldiers while they were securing a military station at the Egyptian border early Saturday, after Israeli forces successfully prevented a smuggling attempt overnight.
It stated that a confrontation within Israeli territory resulted in the deaths of the Egyptian officer and a third Israeli soldier hours later.
Major General Eliezer Toledano, chief of the Israeli military’s Southern Command, stated that the IDF treated the incident as a terrorist act as soon as the bodies of the two Israeli soldiers were discovered.
The Egyptian military said that an exchange of gunfire occurred while an Egyptian security officer chased traffickers across the border, killing one Egyptian and three Israeli security personnel.
According to the Israeli military and two Egyptian security sources, Egyptian and Israeli officials are investigating the incident’s circumstances in full collaboration.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying, “The fatal incident at the Egyptian border during the Sabbath is serious and unusual and will be thoroughly investigated.”
The Israeli military stated that it was unknown how the Egyptian officer managed to get over the border barrier and that soldiers were scanning the area to rule out potential attackers.
A representative for the Israeli military reported that two soldiers were shot while performing their duties on Saturday morning in a somewhat remote place along Egypt’s desert border. The representative stated that their remains were discovered after they neglected to respond to the radio.
As soon as the military realised the crisis was still going on, troops discovered an intrusion into Israeli land, which sparked a gunfight in which the attacker, an Egyptian policeman, and a third Israeli soldier were killed, it stated.
Toledano stated that Israel “will not leave any question unanswered,” including the potential that the shooting was connected to the smuggling activity overnight.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, stated that after consulting with the chief of staff, the military will “investigate the event as necessary.”
In a phone conversation with Gallant, the Egyptian army said that its defence minister, Mohamed Zaki, expressed his sympathies, and the two talked about taking the necessary steps to prevent a recurrence of the border shooting incident.
In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab nation to sign a peace deal with Israel, and the more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) long border has remained largely calm.
Although there were several efforts to smuggle drugs into Israel, the last recorded infiltration that caused casualties took place about ten years ago, according to the Israeli military spokesperson.
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