Israeli Border Police officers stand by a main road, in downtown Jerusalem, Sept. 25, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

i24 News – A police officer was left lightly wounded after being stabbed in Israel’s southern city of Ashkelon early Tuesday morning, Israeli media reported.

According to reports, the officer went to perform a security check on the man, who was acting suspiciously. During the investigation, the man drew a knife and stabbed the officer.

The officer was lightly wounded and evacuated to Barzilai Hospital by Magen David Adom rescue services.

The assailant, a man from Hebron in his 40s, was shot and killed by the officer.

Israel’s police said the officer “responded quickly, fired and neutralized the suspect, whose death was declared on site.”

The latest incident comes as Israeli security forces are on high alert as the country faces a new wave of terror that has left 14 dead in the last two weeks, with attacks taking place in Beersheba, Hadera, Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv.

A man was shot on Sunday in Ashkelon after attempting to steal a weapon from the military.

The suspect was identified as a Jewish Israeli man in his 20s who escaped from a mental health facility, according to Israel’s Ynet news site.

He reportedly attacked a female soldier in the area and threatened her with a plastic gun in order to seize her weapon. After being shot by a nearby officer, the man died of his wounds at the scene.