Soldier lightly injured while trying to arrest suspect who broke into army base

A soldier was lightly injured Monday after he was attacked by a man who broke into an army base in southern Israel, the military said.

According to an army spokesperson, the soldier and his partner were patrolling when they spotted the suspect inside their base. They attempted to arrest the man, but he struck out at them, cutting the soldier’s arm lightly, and then ran back out of the base.

The Israel Defense Forces and police launched a manhunt for the suspect and an investigation into the incident, the army said.

The injured soldier received medical treatment at the scene, the spokesperson said.

The military said it was not yet clear why the man attempted to sneak into the base, though it appeared to have been an attempted robbery.

Military bases, particularly those in the deserts of southern Israel, are frequently robbed — of equipment and weapons — by criminals from nearby Bedouin communities.