Israel thwarts major bomb attack

JERUSALEM, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Israel's army said Thursday it thwarted a major bomb attack on the Egyptian-Israeli border, near the southern city of Eilat.

The Israel television station Channel 10 report said Israeli troops patrolling the border near the city Wednesday night spotted a man carrying a bag attempting to get into Israel.

The soldiers fired warning shots into the air and the suspect fled back into Egypt, leaving behind a bag with a 33-pound bomb, the television report said.

Security officials say the suspect planned to carry out an attack in Eilat.

The Southern district army commander, Maj. Gen. Yoav Gallant, praised the soldiers' alert and swift actions, Ynetnews.com said.

Israeli security officials are attempting to determine whether the suspect was a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip who sneaked into Egypt via a smuggling tunnel or whether he belonged to one of the global Islamic Jihad groups known to operate in the Sinai in Egypt, the Web site said.

An Israel Defense Forces bomb squad detonated the explosive, The Jerusalem Post reported.