At least two Israeli soldiers have been injured in a clash with armed militants on the Israel-Egypt border, Israeli medics have told the BBC.
The Israeli military confirmed its troops had intercepted and killed three armed assailants near Mount Arif.
They were guarding a site where work is continuing on a new security fence.
The violence comes amid a crackdown on Islamist militants operating in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, launched after an attack left 16 Egyptian soldiers dead.
The militants later crossed the border with Israel in an apparent attempt to carry out another attack. However, they were killed in Israeli air strikes.
In June, militants fired an anti-tank missile at a vehicle convoy carrying construction workers helping to build the new border fence. One Israeli construction worker and two of the attackers were killed.Explosive belts
Israel Defence Forces spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich said the militants who crossed the border from the Sinai peninsula on Friday were heavily armed and equipped with bullet-proof vests and explosive belts.
The attack took place near Mount Arif, which is nearly half-way down Israel's 240km (150-mile) southern border, at a point where work is under way to complete the new security fence.
"[The militants] opened fire towards IDF troops that were guarding the workers in that area. Another force that was nearby... rushed to the area and targeted those three terrorists," Lt Col Leibovich told reporters.
"A very big terror attack was thwarted by the quick response of these soldiers," she added.
One unconfirmed Israeli media report said one of the militants might have detonated a suicide belt beside an Israeli soldier.
The incident took place on the Israeli side of the border and there is no information at present regarding involvement of Egyptian security forces.
BBC
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