JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called the death of three soldiers by an Egyptian border guard a ‘terrorist attack’ and urged Cairo for a thorough joint probe into the incident.
“Israel sent the Egyptian authorities a crystal-clear message. We anticipate that the joint inquiry will be rigorous and thorough,” Netanyahu informed his cabinet in televised remarks after the event on Saturday.
“We will update our operational procedures and methods, as well as the controls to keep smuggling to a minimum and guarantee that tragic terrorist attacks like this don’t happen again.”
In a rare incident near the Israel-Egypt border, three Israeli soldiers and a member of Egypt’s security forces were killed on Saturday in an exchange of fire, according to official sources from both sides.
The Israeli army reported that an Egyptian assailant shot dead two soldiers early in the morning while they were securing a military post at the Egyptian border. This initiated a manhunt during which a third soldier lost his life.
The assailant, an identified Egyptian policeman, was subsequently killed by Israeli troops after being discovered within Israeli territory. The Israeli army stated that an investigation was being conducted in close cooperation with the Egyptian army.
Additionally, the Israeli army confirmed that a non-commissioned officer sustained light injuries and was evacuated to a hospital.
