JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli troops thwarted a terror attack on Israel’s border with Egypt.
During a routine patrol on the Israel-Egypt border to prevent smuggling, Israeli soldiers stopping a smuggling attempt witnessed a man leave a bag on the Israeli side of the border and flee back to Egypt. The bag was found to contain a "powerful explosive device," according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces.
Army sappers detonated the device in a controlled explosion.
According to the IDF, terrorists likely were planning to use the explosive device as a roadside bomb against Israel soldiers patrolling near the southern border.
"This incident is a reminder that the smuggling routes along the Israel-Egypt border are constantly being used by terror organizations to execute terror attacks against the citizens of Israel and IDF soldiers," said the IDF statement, which also praised the soldiers’ alertness.
