Several dead, many wounded in bus attack in Israel
At least five people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in a series of attacks in southern Israel near the Egyptian border this morning, media and military reports say.
Israeli Defence Forces reports a car carrying three attackers opened fire on a bus that regularly transports soldiers. Shortly after, IDF soldiers searching for the car were attacked by explosives and gunfire, authorities said.
Mortars fired from the Egyptian border at IDF patrols also caused injuries and havoc, media reports say.
The newspaper Haaretz reports that five people are dead and at least 15 people hurt from the bus attack. Five of the wounded are in critical condition, Israel’s Channel 2 reported.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned that “this terror attack originated from Gaza. We will exhaust all measures against the terrorists,” YNetNews, the website of newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, reported.
YNet reports the five critically wounded were from a separate bus and car attack at around 6 a.m. Toronto time in southern Israel.
An Egyptian security official denied that Egypt had any involvement in the attacks, YNet said. The official told Egyptian media that the armed terrorists operated from within Israel’s borders. “Egypt was in no way involved in the incident, since it is difficult to penetrate the Egypt-Israel border. Moreover, it is impossible to open fire from the Egyptian side to Israel because of the distance,” he said.
At around noon local time (5 a.m. Toronto time), attackers in a car shot at a bus travelling from Beer Sheva to Eilat, near the community of Netafim. The bus often carries many soldiers returning to their bases.
In addition to the shooting attacks, mortars were fired from the Egyptian border and a bomb was set off on an Israeli army vehicle, Haaretz said. Ten passengers on board the bus sustained light to moderate injuries, the newspaper said.
Military spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai says the attackers used heavy weapons, possibly mortars or anti-tank weapons, and explosive devices during the attacks.
Two to four terrorists were killed during the clashes, an IDF spokesman is quoted as saying.
World News:
At least five people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in a series of attacks in southern Israel near the Egyptian border this morning, media and military reports say.
Israeli Defence Forces reports a car carrying three attackers opened fire on a bus that regularly transports soldiers. Shortly after, IDF soldiers searching for the car were attacked by explosives and gunfire, authorities said.
Mortars fired from the Egyptian border at IDF patrols also caused injuries and havoc, media reports say.
The newspaper Haaretz reports that five people are dead and at least 15 people hurt from the bus attack. Five of the wounded are in critical condition, Israel’s Channel 2 reported.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned that “this terror attack originated from Gaza. We will exhaust all measures against the terrorists,” YNetNews, the website of newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, reported.
YNet reports the five critically wounded were from a separate bus and car attack at around 6 a.m. Toronto time in southern Israel.
An Egyptian security official denied that Egypt had any involvement in the attacks, YNet said. The official told Egyptian media that the armed terrorists operated from within Israel’s borders. “Egypt was in no way involved in the incident, since it is difficult to penetrate the Egypt-Israel border. Moreover, it is impossible to open fire from the Egyptian side to Israel because of the distance,” he said.
At around noon local time (5 a.m. Toronto time), attackers in a car shot at a bus travelling from Beer Sheva to Eilat, near the community of Netafim. The bus often carries many soldiers returning to their bases.
In addition to the shooting attacks, mortars were fired from the Egyptian border and a bomb was set off on an Israeli army vehicle, Haaretz said. Ten passengers on board the bus sustained light to moderate injuries, the newspaper said.
Military spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai says the attackers used heavy weapons, possibly mortars or anti-tank weapons, and explosive devices during the attacks.
Two to four terrorists were killed during the clashes, an IDF spokesman is quoted as saying.
World News:
