Shooting on the Egyptian border

An area in Israel bordering Egypt near where the incident occurred on June 3.

According to Reuters, Egypt and Israel said the two countries are jointly investigating the incident.

The Israeli military said an Egyptian policeman shot dead two of its soldiers while they were guarding a military post near the border early on June 3. Earlier, Israeli forces had thwarted a smuggling attempt overnight.

The Egyptian policeman and a third Israeli soldier were killed hours later in a confrontation inside Israeli territory, the Israeli military said.

Major General Eliezer Toledano, head of the Israeli army's Southern Command, said that as soon as the two Israeli soldiers were confirmed dead, the army immediately treated it as a terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian military said four people were killed in a gunfight when a member of the Egyptian security forces chased smugglers across the border.

The Israeli military and two Egyptian security sources said officials from both countries were working closely to investigate the incident.

"The deadly incident on the Egyptian border on the Sabbath is serious, unusual and will be thoroughly investigated," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

The Israeli military is still unclear how the Egyptian officer managed to cross the border fence and Israeli soldiers are combing the area to rule out other attackers.

An Israeli military spokesman said two soldiers were shot while on duty in a relatively deserted desert area along the border with Egypt on the morning of June 3. The spokesman also revealed that the soldiers’ bodies were found after they failed to answer their radios.

When the Israeli military learned of the incident, they determined that their territory had been invaded, leading to a gunfight in which the attacker, an Egyptian policeman, and a third Israeli soldier were killed.

Mr Toledano said Israel “will not leave any questions unresolved”, including the possibility that the shooting was linked to an overnight smuggling operation.

According to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, he has conducted an assessment with the chief of staff and the army "will investigate the incident according to regulations".

The Egyptian military said Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki had expressed his condolences by phone to Mr Gallant and the two sides discussed taking necessary measures to avoid a repeat of the border shooting.

Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel and the more than 200-km border between the two countries has remained largely peaceful.

Although drug smuggling activities occur frequently in the area, the last known incursion into Israeli territory that resulted in casualties occurred about 10 years ago, an Israeli military spokesman said.

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