ISIS Claim Responsibility for Southern Border Attack

ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula has claimed responsibility for rocket fire into the Eshkol region in the north-western Negev on Sunday night. Two rockets fired from Sinai landed in the area, but fell in open fields without causing any damage or casualties.

In a statement issued on the organization’s news outlet ‘Aamak’, the group said it was targeting Israeli jets which they claim were flying in the region. Around the same time as the rocket attack on Israel, six Egyptian soldiers were killed and dozens injured in an ISIS attack on Sheik Zuweid in northern Sinai. In ISIS’ statement, they claim that yesterday’s actions were part of a coordinated attack.

“With help from none other than Allah almighty, last night, A number of our soldiers attacked two central outposts belonging to the infidel Egyptian military west of Sheikh Zuweid and east of Al-Arish,” the statement read, “They stormed the Al-Ajra and the Kerem Al-Kawadis checkpoints, and killed and injured 40 infidels. They took weapons and ammunition as their bounty, while assisting units shot Grad rockets at the Al-Zahur army base and tried to thwart the Jewish planes flying overhead, hitting the Jewish Eshkol region with two Grad Rockets.”

Following the attacks, Egypt decided to close the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. This, just a few days after reopening it as part of the Palestinian reconciliation efforts.