On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the army to turn the area at the border with Egypt into a closed military zone in order to combat weapons smuggling via drones.
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AFP reports: "I instructed the IDF to turn the area adjacent to the Israel–Egypt border into a closed military zone and amend the rules of engagement to combat the drone threat endangering the country's security," Katz said in a statement.
He added, “Weapon smuggling via drones is part of the war in Gaza and is intended to arm our enemies, and all possible measures must be taken to stop it.”
Israel and Egypt share a border spanning approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles).
On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had identified a drone that "crossed from the west into Israeli territory in an attempt to smuggle weapons."
Troops intercepted the drone, which was carrying eight guns.
On Tuesday, the military said it had thwarted another smuggling attempt after intercepting a drone carrying ten pistols that had "crossed from the eastern border" into Israeli territory.
Israel is bordered by Jordan to the east.
On Thursday, Katz declared, “Today we declare war on those involved in the smuggling — and anyone who breaches the forbidden area will be targeted.”
In a post on X, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, praised Katz for making the decision and for recognizing that the trafficking there serves terrorist objectives.