Additional shooting attack north of Eilat, one injured
LAST UPDATED: 08/18/2011 19:08
IDF, police forces still searching area for terrorists; Russo says IDF was on alert for attack from Sinai; seven killed in terror attack.
Security personnel next to bus after ambush, Thurs Photo: REUTERS/Lior Grundman
An additional shooting attack took place Thursday evening north of
Eilat, in which one person was injured. Army forces, police and
ambulances were seen rushing toward the location of the attack and IDF
helicopters were hovering overhead.
The IDF attacked terror targets in Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, in response to a three-stage terrorist attack which killed seven Israelis and wounded dozens in the South earlier in the day.
RELATED:
Click here for a timeline of the attack
Egypt security sources: Bus ambush unlikely to have
come from here
Barak: IDF will hunt down perpetrators of Eilat
attack
Earlier Thursday, seven people were
reported dead and at least 25 injured in terror attacks along Israel’s
border with Egypt early Thursday afternoon.
IDF forces were still searching the area around Eilat
and the Egyptian border out of concern that there may be terrorists
still in the area. Sources said that it is possible that there were as
many 20 terrorist in the area, both in Israel and on the Egyptian side
of the border.
At a press conference Thursday evening, OC Southern Command Maj.-Gen.
Tal Russo said that security forces had been on high alert for terror
attacks coming from Sinai to Israel.
Security sources said that due to the alert, special forces including
the police's YAMAM anti-terror force were already positioned in the
area.
Russo said that in the first attack,
three terrorists with suicide bomb vests, grenades and machine guns
opened fire on a bus, then went northwards and opened fire on a civilian
vehicle and another bus.
At that point, one terrorist detonated his suicide vest near the bus and
the other two terrorists opened fire on security forces arriving on the
scene. Two other terrorists on the Egyptian side of the border also
opened fire. Russo said that Egyptian security forces shot and struck
two terrorist on their side of the border.
In total, he said there are six civilians and one member of the security forces were killed in the attacks.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak described the attack as a painful and severe
incident and sent his condolences to relatives and loved ones of the
victims. Barak said residents of eilat can continue with their normal
lives.
"We won't always be able to prevent an attack, but the IDF will work tirelessly to protect the people of Israel," he said.
Barak added that Egypt's control of Sinai has become shaky.
The terror attack began at noon Thursday when terrorists opened fire at an Egged bus
traveling on Road 12 near Eilat.
Several minutes later, a number of bombs went
off next to an IDF patrol traveling along the border with Egypt. There
were also reports of mortar fire from Egypt into Israel. The terrorists
apparently then moved on to another spot and fired an anti-tank missile
at another vehicle, injuring a number of passengers.
Magen David
Adom said that terrorists attacked a bus and a private vehicle 20
kilometers north of the site of the first incident. Paramedics said five
people there were mortally wounded in that attack.
The casualties were
evacuated to Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat. A number of soldiers were among
the casualties
IDF soldier target, hit 7 terrorists involved in attacks
IDF soldiers targeted and hit seven terrorists involved in the attacks, according to IDF spokeswoman Avital Leibovich.
“This seems
like a coordinated attack,” a senior IDF officer said. There was also
speculation that there may have been more than one terror cell
coordinating the attacks.
Commander of the IDF’s Edom Division
Brig.-Gen. Tamir Yidayi arrived at the scene of the bus attack and set
up a command post to coordinate efforts to capture the perpetrators.
On Sunday, the Egyptian Military launched a massive operation to capture terrorist cells operating in the Sinai.
Due
to concern that terrorists had infiltrated into Israel from Egypt,
security officers in Israeli communities along the border were ordered
to raise the level of alert and to tell residents to remain inside their
home.
Defense Ministry wants faster border fence construction
Israel has so far managed to construct a barrier along 45 kilometers of
it's southern border with Egypt, which stretches for over 200 km.
The original plan was to complete construction of the fence in 2013 but
the Defense Ministry decided several months ago to hire six different
contracts in order to speed up the construction and complete the project
by the end of 2012.
The Defense Ministry said it would complete construction of an
additional 100 km by the end of 2011. Officials said that 700 meters of
fence was constructed on a daily basis.
Following the attacks near Eilat on Thursday, Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen.
Udi Shani convened a meeting to discuss ways to increase the number of
workers who work on the fence in an effort to move up the completion
date.
Authorities set up an emergency telephone number for those affected by the attacks near Eilat: 1255175.
Yaakov Katz and JPost.com staff contributed to this report