The Israeli Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, announced on Thursday that he had instructed the military to convert the area adjacent to the border with Egypt into a “closed military zone.”

Katz stated via his account on the “X” platform: “I have instructed the Israeli military (IDF) to turn the area adjacent to the Israeli-Egyptian border into a closed military zone, and to change the rules of engagement accordingly, in order to combat the drone threat that endangers the security of the state,” as he described it.

He continued: “In parallel, I agreed with the Head of the Shin Bet (also known as Shabak), David Zini, that the Shin Bet should work to classify the threat of weapons smuggling via drones as a terrorist threat.”

He added: “Weapons smuggling operations using drones are part of the war in Gaza and aim to arm our enemies, and all necessary measures must be taken to stop them.”

He concluded by saying: “Today, we declare war on those involved in the smuggling operations, and anyone who infiltrates the restricted area will be targeted.”