Two police officers have been shot dead in an attack in the northern Israeli city of Hadera.

Police said the gunmen were Israeli Arab citizens. They were shot dead by undercover officers.

The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack in a statement posted on social media.

It comes days after an attacker identified as an IS supporter killed four Israelis in the southern city of Beersheba.

One of the assailants in the latest incident tried to join IS and officials are looking for connections between the attacks, Haaretz reports.

Four other people were taken to hospital after the attack in Hadera, and two others were treated at the site of the shooting.

Police said counterterrorism officers happened to be in a restaurant near the shooting and brought the attack to an end.

"Our officers managed to neutralise the assailants and prevent a bigger terrorist attack," national police spokesman Eli Levy told Israeli TV.

The Islamic State group's claim of responsibility is unusual - the intelligence group SITE said it was the first time it had taken credit for an attack in Israel since 2017.

Sunday's incident occurred as Israel hosts an historic summit with three Arab League states with which it has normalised ties, as well as Egypt and the US.

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that all his counterparts at the meeting had condemned the attack. However, it was praised by the Hamas militant group which governs Gaza as a "heroic operation".

There have been several recent attacks amid concerns that tensions are rising ahead of religious holidays.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by BBC NEWS

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