Israeli PM, Egyptian president reiterate bilateral ties in wake of deadly border shootout

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have discussed the shootout that killed three Israeli soldiers and one Egyptian policeman, reiterating their commitment to security coordination.

During a phone call on Tuesday, Sisi offered his “deep condolences” over the deadly shooting at the Sinai desert border on Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The two leaders expressed “their commitment to further strengthening peace and security cooperations, which is an essential value for both countries,” the statement read.

They also affirmed the “willingness of the two sides to continue work and coordination in the light of bilateral ties,” said Ahmed Fahmy, spokesperson of the Egyptian presidency.

In the incident that occurred early Saturday morning, an Egyptian policeman killed three Israeli soldiers before the assailant was “neutralised” by other soldiers, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The Egyptian army stated that three Israeli soldiers and a member of Egyptian security forces were killed in a shootout when the Egyptian security personnel was chasing drug smugglers near the border with Israel.

Such confrontations along the Israel-Egypt border are rare as the two countries have maintained close security ties under a peace agreement signed by the two sides in 1979.