Israeli troops foiled a suspected attempt to bomb the southern resort city of Eilat by a militant who attempted to infiltrate the desert border with Egypt,an army spokesman said on Friday. On Wednesday evening,a patrol spotted a "silhoutte on the Egyptian border and fired warning shots," the spokesman said. Yesterday,soldiers "found a bag containing 15 kilos (33 pounds) of explosives abandoned at the site where the suspect fled," he added. Israeli media stressed that the apparent bomb plot came as rumours swirled that a deal was near with the Islamist Hamas movement for a prisoner exchange for an Israeli soldier held in Gaza since 2006.
