An Israeli soldier and three suspected militants have been killed in a clash near the Sinai peninsula, the latest in a series of violent attacks in the region.
Israeli security forces say heavily armed gunmen wearing explosives infiltrated the border from Egypt on Friday and opened fire on soldiers who were guarding workers building a border fence.
Military officials say the attackers shot and killed one soldier before the Israeli troops returned fire, killing the suspected militants. A second soldier was wounded.
Israeli officials say one attacker's explosives detonated during the clash, which they described as a terrorist attack. The incident took place in the Har Harif region.
Israel says attacks in the Sinai region have increased since the 2011 resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Israeli officials say Gaza-based militants have been taking advantage of lax security in the region to launch attacks on Israel.
In June, gunmen crossed into Israel from Egypt's Sinai desert and killed a construction worker before Israeli troops returned fire, killing two of the attackers.
Israel has started building a stronger barrier along its 230-kilometer border with Sinai to try to prevent the raids and stop an illegal influx of African migrants.
Israeli security forces say heavily armed gunmen wearing explosives infiltrated the border from Egypt on Friday and opened fire on soldiers who were guarding workers building a border fence.
Military officials say the attackers shot and killed one soldier before the Israeli troops returned fire, killing the suspected militants. A second soldier was wounded.
Israeli officials say one attacker's explosives detonated during the clash, which they described as a terrorist attack. The incident took place in the Har Harif region.
Israel says attacks in the Sinai region have increased since the 2011 resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Israeli officials say Gaza-based militants have been taking advantage of lax security in the region to launch attacks on Israel.
In June, gunmen crossed into Israel from Egypt's Sinai desert and killed a construction worker before Israeli troops returned fire, killing two of the attackers.
Israel has started building a stronger barrier along its 230-kilometer border with Sinai to try to prevent the raids and stop an illegal influx of African migrants.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.