Two Egyptian soldiers were killed Wednesday near the Israel-Egypt border during a shootout with suspected Bedouin drug smugglers, Egyptian officials reported. In a separate incident, IDF forces shot at Egyptians who crossed into Israel.

According to Egyptian sources, two Egyptian soldiers were killed after exchanging fire with a group of Bedouin suspected of being drug smugglers, in Egyptian territory near the border with Israel.

Open gallery view An Israeli army jeep passes by Egyptian soldiers on the Israeli-Egyptian borders on North East Sinai, August 22, 2011. Credit: Reuters

About 90 minutes afterward, IDF forces from the Golani Brigade identified a group of people who infiltrated into Israel from Egypt. They were awaited by others on the Israeli side, which led the IDF to suspect they were drug smugglers. IDF forces fired into the air and then toward their knees, and the Egyptians returned fire.

The IDF Spokesperson said one of the suspected drug smugglers were hit.

In August, a terrorist squad infiltrated Israel from Sinai, which resulted in the deaths of eight Israelis along Highway 12, which runs along the border.

Israel has recently been working on constructing a 70-kilometer-long fence along its border with Egypt, originally planned to block infiltration of asylum-seekers from Africa but now primarily meant to keep terrorists from Sinai out.