IDF says Zikim infiltrators reached base by sea

Amid reports of an infiltration attempt at the Zikim army base, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner says that 50 minutes ago, Israeli naval surveillance spotted a squad of terrorists advancing toward Israel by sea.

The infiltrators were armed with grenades, the army says. The army confirms four terrorists killed, though Israeli media reports puts the figure at five fatalities.

The army says one IDF soldier was lightly injured.

Lerner cannot confirm whether the squad was swimming or on a boat, but says the navy alerted infantry forces in the area, which engaged the terrorists. The air force engaged the terrorists as well.

“The event appears to be over,” Lerner says, though the IDF says in a statement it is continuing to search the area for other potential infiltrators.

— Mitch Ginsburg