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NEW: Female officer, male soldier hurt in attack by suspected jihadist militants, Israeli military says
The wounded soldiers have been taken to a hospital
The troops were injured "by fire directed at them from Egypt," Israeli military says
Suspected jihadist militants opened fire on Israeli troops near the Israel-Egypt border Wednesday afternoon, wounding a female officer and a male soldier, the Israeli military said.
The militants shot at and fired an anti-tank missile at the troops, who belong to an infantry battalion responsible for defending the border, the military said.
The attack happened at about 2 p.m. near Esoz, Israel. The wounded soldiers were taken by helicopter to a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva; details of their injuries weren’t available.
The militants’ location at the time of the attack wasn’t immediately clear. A post on the Israeli military’s Twitter account said that the troops were hit by “fire directed at them from Egypt.” Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner later said only that the attack happened close to the border, near Esoz.
Lerner did not say whether the Israeli military returned fire. He said more Israeli forces were being sent to the area, and the people who live in the area should stay in their homes.