Soldiers evacuate wounded. Photo: Hertzl Yosef, YNet.

A Spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Brig- General Yoav Mordechai, said today that a “large number” of terrorists “divided into several units.” had conducted a series of terror attacks on Israeli civilians in an area about 20 miles north of Eilat. Lt Col Avital Leibovich, spokesperson to the international press for the IDF, reiterated, and stated the following IDF warning to those responsible for acts of terror against the Israeli people: “It is the distinct goal of the IDF is to protect the citizens of Israel. We will not tolerate such a malicious attack on Innocent civilians.”

The Lt Col called the Thursday assaults “multi-layered terrorist attacks.” The incidents began around 12 Noon, Thursday.  The first attack was on civilian bus traveling south towards Eilat. The bus, Egged 392, carried civilian passengers as well as soldiers and was traveling from Beersheva to Eilat. The soldiers on board the bus immediately returned fire. The heavy attack injured 14 passengers who have been evacuated to a hospital in Eilat. A second bus was fired on in the same area, as were two additional civilian vehicles. On the Philadelphi Road near the Egyptian border, a civilian tractor doing maintenance work was fired on. The “drive-by” attacks were perpetrated by terrorists riding in a passenger vehicle.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak stated that the terrorists had infiltrated the border and were all from Gaza.   Their ability to infiltrate shows “the weakening of Egyptian authority in the Sinai Peninsula: since the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak.”

A special police patrol in the area was immediately dispatched to the scene. Lt-Col Leibovich stated that the IDF “has the situation under control and contained. The roadway remains closed as investigations continues, and the IDF remains “on alert.'” An IDF vehicle on its way to the scene hit a roadside bomb and overturned.  No IDF injuries were reported. The IDF spokesperson stated that seven of the terrorists have been killed.

Algemeiner Coverage will be updated as events are known.