At least five people were killed today when gunmen opened fire on a bus and other vehicles in a series of attacks near the Israeli tourist resort of Eilat.
Bullets, mortars and an anti-tank missile were all fired and a roadside bomb was detonated during the assault which Israeli officials blamed on terrorists from Gaza. The bus that was hit was understood to be carrying tourists.
Three terrorists were reported to be among the dead after a gun battle with Israeli special forces, but there were no immediate details about the identity of the other fatalities. About a dozen people were injured.
Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokesman, said: “We are talking about a terror squad that infiltrated into Israel. This is a combined terrorist attack against Israelis.”
