Nine Killed In Series Of Attacks In Israel

At least nine people have been killed and many more injured after co-ordinated attacks in southern Israel, reports have said.

Two Egyptian security men were killed during a raid along the Israeli border with Egypt.

Their deaths followed a series of other attacks near the border where attackers targeted a passenger bus, a private car and a group of soldiers.

A military spokesman said the attackers appeared to have used heavy weapons and explosive devices.

The bus, carrying Israeli civilians to the southern resort city of Eilat, was ambushed by a group of gunmen.

Sky's Emma Hurd said an Israeli military vehicle arriving at the scene of the attack was then hit by a roadside bomb.

Soon after, another car was reportedly hit by a missile or mortar.

A gunfight then took place between Israeli forces and the attackers, in which several assailants are believed to have been killed.

A military spokeswoman said at least nine people were injured in the first incident involving the bus.

The attack took place along the 12km border between Israel and Egypt, highlighting concerns of growing lawlessness in Egypt following the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak.

Last week, Egypt moved thousands of troops into the Sinai Peninsula as part of a major operation against militants who have been increasingly active in the area.

In a news conference, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said anyone who attacked Israel will pay "a very heavy price".

The driver of the bus said he had seen Egyptian soldiers open fire, but a military spokesman said he was not aware of any Egyptian military involvement.

Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich said: "We are talking about a terror squad that infiltrated into Israel.

"This is a combined terrorist attack against Israelis."

Israeli TV reported a fourth attack by gunmen, but there was no official confirmation or details.

The military said a "large number" of assailants were working in multiple squads.

Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak has blamed the co-ordinated attack on Gaza, and pledged that Israel will respond "with all our strength and determination".

Several hours later, he confirmed that Israel's air force had hit the Popular Resistance Committees - the group which the military said was behind the attacks.

"An IAF aircraft targeted senior militants of the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist organisation in the southern Gaza Strip," an army statement said, naming three of the group's leaders.

"These officials were behind the combined terrorist attacks with the primary objective of kidnapping an Israeli civilian or soldier."

The Hamas government has denied any role in the attacks.

Hamas spokesman Taher al Nunu said: "The Palestinian government denies the accusations made by Barak about the operation in Eilat and affirms that there is no relation between the Gaza Strip and what happened near Eilat."

Militants in Sinai have taken advantage of the security vacuum caused by the abrupt withdrawal of police forces.

Authorities have blamed the militants for brazen attacks on police patrols as well as a string of bombings on a key pipeline carrying natural gas to Israel and Jordan.

Earlier, an Israeli radio station reported further gunfire in the southern town of Beer Sheba, but the incident was said to be unrelated.

Alistair Burt, the UK's Foreign Office minister for the Middle East, said: "I condemn these appalling and senseless acts of violence.

"As efforts for peace in the region continue, this brutality has no place, nor its perpetrators any excuse. My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured and I offer sincere condolences to their families and friends. "

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks and offered condolences to the people of Israel.

"This violence only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula," she added.

"Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important and we urge the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution."