Footprints indicating an infiltration from Jordan into Israel were spotted on Monday (Dec. 25), prompting a manhunt by the Israel Defense Forces.
According to a statement issued by the IDF: “Earlier today, during a routine search along the Israeli-Jordanian border, footprints indicating an illegal crossing into Israel from Jordan were identified.
“The IDF, along with the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service are continuing to search the area. The incident is being investigated,” the statement said.
Other than saying the footprints were found in the northern Negev area, the IDF declined to indicate where exactly the footprints were found. The military maintains an undisturbed strip of earth along the border so that trackers can quickly identify any footprints they find, showing an unauthorized individual — or several — crossed the border into Israel.
The Jordanian border with Israel has generally been pretty quiet following the 1994 peace treaty with the Hashemite Kingdom. There have, however, been occasional infiltrations and terrorists who enter from Israel’s eastern neighbor.