IDF troops come under fire on Egyptian border

[Jefferson23]

Anti-tank missile fired at troops from Sinai Peninsula; two soldiers wounded; army dispatches large numbers of troops to the scene after gunfire reported.

Yoav Zitun, Ilana Curiel
Latest Update: 10.22.14,

IDF troops came under fire on the Israeli-Egyptian border on Wednesday afternoon. Two soldiers from the Caracal Battalion were wounded when terrorists from Sinai fired gunfire and an anti-tank missile at an IDF patrol.

Egyptian security forces told an Egyptian news outlet that al-Qaeda-linked Salafist jihadist group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis was behind the attack. While Al Arabiya reported fire exchange between the Egyptian army and smugglers in Sinai was the source of the fire at Israel.

The wounded soldiers were evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva in a helicopter. A female officer was in moderate condition and a male soldier was in moderate to serious condition.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4583010,00.html

[bemildred]

1. Yep, nice little war going on down there in the Sinai now too. nt

[Jefferson23]

4. Yea, and all the control freaks in power should be proud, they could rename the ME, MESS.

They're all scrambling now what to do.

[bemildred]

2. Missile, fire from Egypt wounds 2 Israeli troops

JERUSALEM (AP) — Attackers from the Egyptian side of the border fired an anti-tank missile and gunshots at an Israeli military vehicle on Wednesday, wounding two soldiers in a rare cross-border incident, the military said.

The military said the attack occurred in southern Negev Desert, and that the soldiers were evacuated to a hospital in Israel.

The frontier between Israel and Egypt is normally quiet. The two countries signed a peace accord 35 years ago and have close security cooperation. But Islamic militants in Egypt's lawless Sinai Peninsula have attempted to carry out attacks against Israel in recent years. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-10-22/2-israeli-troops-wounded-by-gunfire-from-egypt

[hack89]

3. The Caracal Battalion is 70% female

The Caracal Battalion is an infantry combat battalion of the Israel Defense Forces, composed of both male and female soldiers, of both Jewish and Arab descent.[1] It is named after the Caracal, a small cat whose sexes appear the same.[2] As of 2009, approximately 70% of the battalion was female.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracal_Battalion

[bemildred]

5. Egyptian ambassador to UN calls for end to Palestinian occupation

The Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations Amr Abu Atta called on Tuesday for an “expedited end to the Israeli occupation” of the Palestinian territories during a UN Security Council meeting.

The ambassador’s comments come just days before indirect peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian authorities are set to resume in Cairo.

In a statement released by the Egyptian foreign ministry, Abu Atta said that “claims that [Israel] invoked to justify continued occupation and siege on Gaza are contrary to logic”. Abu Atta said this was evidenced by three Israeli sieges on the Gaza in the last decade alone.

Egypt has consistently pushed for a two-state solution divided among 1967 borders with a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.

http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/10/22/egyptian-ambassador-un-calls-end-palestinian-occupation/

[Jefferson23]

6. Two Israeli soldiers wounded in Egypt border attack

IDF investigation reveals that the militants who opened fire ambushed from Sinai area while attempting to smuggle drugs.


By Gili Cohen | Oct. 22, 2014 | 5:19 PM

An Israel Defense Forces officer and a soldier were wounded on Wednesday in a shooting incident near the border with Egypt, the Israeli military confirmed.

The two wounded from the mixed Caracal infantry battalion, one of them a female company commander. They were evacuated by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center, Be'er Sheva.

Large forces were immediately mobilized to the area, near Azuz. They were combing the area to rule out a possible border infiltration.

An Israeli officer said that the ambush had apparently taken place from the western side of the border fence between Israel and Egypt. The Israeli force was on patrol at the time of the ambush, investigating suspicious movements near the border when the enemy opened fire on the military jeep, according to an Israeli officer.

The armed militants who approached the Israeli-Egyptian border from Sinai opened fire at the military jeep from three different positions from a vehicle that arrived adjacent to the fence and two other nearby places.

An army investigation revealed that the armed cell was planning to smuggle drugs when an army jeep approached the vicinity. They opened fire after realizing they had been detected. The Israeli forces returned fire, and then an RPG was most likely fired at the Israelis without causing any injuries or damage.

It appears that one of the armed cell members who had reached the fence was injured. Other shooting was carried out in the area, in coordination with Egypt. During the incident several cell members were killed, somewhere between three and six, according to Israeli officials.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.622159