An Israeli military spokesman said on Thursday that Israeli forces exchanged fire with Bedouin smugglers on Israel's border with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last night. The spokesman said an Israeli patrol last night was able to thwart an attempt by "armed Egyptian smugglers" to infiltrate Israel. He said the exchange of fire began after the smugglers refused to comply with orders to stop moving. The spokesman said Israeli soldiers fired on the smugglers, but it was not clear whether they killed or wounded any, adding that troops found a pistol and a rifle after the smugglers fled the scene. The incident occurred about an hour after two Egyptian security forces were killed in a shootout with smugglers in the same area. It is unclear whether the Egyptian and Israeli forces fought with the same group or not. A senior Egyptian security source said on Thursday that there was no information or notifications from Israel about the death or injury of Egyptian smugglers from Sinai yesterday evening. The Egyptian security source said, "the Egyptian border with Israel is controlled completely and was calm and stable." Arabic here
