Army finds signs of infiltration on Jordan border, launches manhunt
Military says soldiers identified evidence that someone crossed illegally into Israel in the Arava desert area
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
The army launched a manhunt in the Arava desert on Monday after finding evidence that someone illegally crossed into the area from Jordan, a military official said.
“Earlier today, during a routine search along the Israeli-Jordanian border, footprints indicating an illegal crossing into Israel from Jordan were identified,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
“The IDF along with the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service are continuing to search the area. The incident is being investigated,” the statement said.
The army maintains so-called “blurred” paths along the country’s borders, strips of undisturbed dirt that allow trackers to quickly see footprints and other traces of illegal infiltration.
An IDF spokesperson said the army would not elaborate on where exactly the footprints were found along the border, other than to say that it was in the Arava desert.
Israel’s border with Jordan is generally seen as a quiet one, owing to a 1994 peace treaty with the Hashemite Kingdom and strong defense ties. There is, however, always concern that the relative calm will be exploited by terrorist or criminal groups to enter Israel for nefarious purposes.
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