Israeli forces on Sunday joined Kenyan efforts to end a deadly siege by Somali militants at a Nairobi shopping mall, a security source told AFP.

“The Israelis have just entered and they are rescuing the hostages and the injured,” the source told AFP on condition he not be named.

In Israel, foreign ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson refused to confirm or deny that its forces were involved.

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“We don’t make a habit of commenting on security cooperation of any kind that there may or may not be,” he told AFP.

The attack on the part Israeli-owned upmarket mall has left at least 59 dead and around 200 wounded, Kenyan officials said.

The intervention came 26 hours after gunmen walked into the complex, tossing grenades and spraying gunfire at shoppers and staff.

Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack.