Israeli army reinforces border security after civilian trucks approach Egypt fence: Media

By Zein Khalil
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli army reinforced security along its border with Egypt on Wednesday after small Egyptian civilian trucks approached the frontier fence, Israeli media reported.

Channel 12 said the vehicles reached an area roughly 100 meters from the Israeli settlement of Shlomit in the Negev desert, around 700 meters from the Egyptian border, prompting the military to dispatch additional troops, tanks and combat helicopters to the scene.

The army said the trucks were carrying civilians and that no security incident had occurred. It added that the deployment was carried out in coordination with the Egyptian side.

Residents in nearby communities were informed that the border remains stable and that the incident does not pose a threat, according to statements carried by Israeli media.

Yedioth Ahronoth described the vehicles as “suspicious,” reporting that forces on the ground were preparing measures to push them back from the vicinity of Israeli communities near the Gaza-Egypt-Israel tri-border area.

There was no immediate comment from Egyptian authorities.

The incident comes amid renewed media tensions in recent weeks. On Feb. 5, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against what he called an “excessive buildup” of Egyptian military capabilities, according to Israeli reports.

Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty on March 26, 1979, following the Camp David Accords, formally ending the state of war and stipulating Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, with parts of the area designated as demilitarized.

*writing by Tarek Chouiref