“A WORLD IN CRISIS”

Southern Israel

Israel: Triple Terror Strike in Eilat

By Gary H. Johnson Jr.

At least six people were killed and 40 injured in Israel when a multiple terror strikes rocked Southern Israel.

At 12:00 P.M., today, Israeli time, jihadi terrorists performed a drive by shooting on a tourist bus headed for the vacation town of Eilat. The three heavily armed jihadists wearing Military vests and suicide belts had infiltrated Israeli border from Egypt and opened fire on Bus 392. At least fourteen passengers were injured in the assault. A number of sources relay that the Egged bus carried “a significant number of soldiers leaving their bases for the weekend.”

20 minutes later, 20 Kilometers north of the initial attack, another bus that did not have any passengers aboard was attacked along the same route. The bus driver was killed when the terrorist detonated his suicide belt.

An IAF helicopter was fired on by the terrorists. While the chopper pilots surveyed the scene, an RPG was fired by one of the terror squad. The rocket missed.

Five minutes later, at 12:25, a car in the vicinity of the second bus attack was ambushed by the terrorists. Reports indicated that all four people in the car were killed.

A number of reports indicate two or more mortars were fired from Egypt into Israel without any effect at around 12:30.

According to Haaretz, at 1:10, an anti-tank missile was fired at a vehicle by a jihadist, wounding seven.

According to the IDF Spokeswoman Avital Leibovich, IDF soldiers targeted and hit seven terrorists involved in the attacks.

Israeli Security was already on high alert along the border, since the Egyptian Security forces had swept the Sinai to round up terrorists in operations which began on Sunday.

The IDF response was hampered by a string of IEDs that exploded along the road as the initial attacks were ongoing.

An IDF jeep ran over one terrorist when it arrived on the scene and when a second IDF Jeep arrived, the soldiers exiting the vehicle were hit by assault rifle fire.

The last terrorist involved in the initial fight was killed after waging a gun battle with the YAMAM counter-terror units of the Israeli Police.

At 1:30, two jihadists opened fire on Israeli troops from the Egyptian side of the border. Israeli troops returned fire and killed the terrorists. The Egyptian government claims its security forces killed two additional militants on their side of the border.

By 3:00, the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak claimed that the terrorists originated from the Gaza Strip. He promised Israel’s response would be forceful and decisive. The Israeli Security Agency Shin Bet provided the Israeli Air Force with actionable intelligence.

Less than 7 hours after the initial attacks launched by the Gaza-based terrorists, the Israeli Air Force launched missile strikes on the Southern Gaza Strip that killed several Palestinians. Of those killed, according to Israeli defense officials, were a number of the senior operatives and the head of the “Popular Resistance Committees.”

According to Palestinians in Gaza, six people were killed in the Israeli Air Force precision strikes, including the Popular Resistance Committees senior commander, Kamal Abu Abed al-Nairab.

Bus Attacked outside Eilat

All told, the IDF forces in Southern Israel killed seven terrorists, Egyptian forces killed two terrorists, and the Israeli Air Force strikes killed at least one jihadist leader. Six innocent Israelis lost their lives in the initial attacks and six Palestinians which have yet to be identified also appear to have been killed.

In the aftermath of the attacks, at 7:00pm Israeli time, an IDF soldier was wounded, when shots fired from the Egyptian side of the border struck their mark. Seriously wounded, the soldier was evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Following the attacks, the White House Press Secretary condemned the attacks. Secretary Clinton responded one hour later. After offering America’s deepest condolences for the victims of the attacks, she said “The United States and Israel are united in the fight against terror.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu reacted to the ongoing multi-pronged attacks with the promise of reprisal. “If someone thinks Israel will accept this, they are wrong,” he said, “We will react immediately and with force.”