Israel is bracing for an Islamic State (Isil) terror attack along its southern border with Egypt within the next six months, a senior Israeli military officer has warned.

Wilayat Sinai, the jihadist group’s affiliate in the Sinai desert, has been stealing armored vehicles and anti-tank missiles from Egypt’s military and Israeli expects the weapons will soon be turned against its forces on the Egyptian border.

The Israeli officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Telegraph that Wilayat Sinai had stolen at least one Egyptian M60 battle tank and had amassed a supply of Russian-made Kornet missiles, which can strike targets more than three miles away.

“It could happen today, tomorrow, in a month but within the next six months we will come into an engagement with Wilayat Sinai,” the officer said. “In the next six months they will try to carry out an attack and try to do something against Israel.”