Israel says two gunmen killed after entering from Jordan

A third assailant is believed to be on the run in an area south of the Dead Sea

Officers block the road leading to the site where Israeli forces say they shot and killed two gunmen who opened fire near the Dead Sea in Israel, Friday. AP

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Israel’s military said it killed two gunmen who crossed from Jordan into Israeli territory south of the Dead Sea on Friday morning.

The men were killed after they shot at Israeli soldiers. Another operative “likely fled the scene” and the military said it has mounted a ground and air search operation.

Israel’s ambulance service said two Israelis were injured during the attack.

The gunmen were trying to enter the village of Neot HaKikar but were stopped by troops and members of the community’s security team, police said.

A photo purportedly taken at the scene shows a body clothed in what looks like a military uniform and desert military boots, while an Israeli soldier looks on. Authorities in neither Jordan nor Israel have released details about the gunmen’s identities.

Israel’s largest border by far is shared with Jordan and the countries have close security ties, but tensions have been high over the Gaza war, with Jordanian officials repeatedly criticising Israel's actions.

In September a Jordanian lorry driver killed three Israelis at the Allenby Bridge crossing that links Jordan with the occupied West Bank. The attacker was killed at the scene.

More than half of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian origin and one in five are registered as Palestinian refugees.