Three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were killed in two separate incidents on the Israel-Egypt border on Friday night, reports Arutz-7. The first incident occurred when an Egyptian police officer killed two IDF soldiers, Lia Bin-Nun and Uri Yitzhak Iluz, hours after an attempt to smuggle 1.5 million NIS worth of drugs was thwarted near Mount Harif on the border. In the second incident, a third IDF soldier, Ohad Dahan, was killed during a shootout with the same Egyptian officer who was also killed during the exchange.

Bin-Nun, a 19-year-old from Rishon Lezion, and Iluz, from the northern city of Tzfat, were both from the Bardelas Battalion. They were killed in the same area where the drug-smuggling attempt had occurred. Dahan, a 20-year-old resident of Ofakim, was part of the Caracal Battalion. The Egyptian officer, who was found with weapons and a Quran, had infiltrated 1.5 kilometers into Israeli territory.

An IDF investigation revealed that the Egyptian officer had entered Israel through a crossing maintained in coordination with the Egyptian army. The IDF soldiers didn’t notice him before he opened fire. Communication with the soldiers was lost at 4:15 a.m., and their bodies were found with gunshot wounds at 9:00 a.m. The IDF is investigating whether weather conditions affected border deterrence.

The IDF is continuing searches in the area to ensure no other assailants are present and conducting a full investigation in cooperation with the Egyptian army.