Egypt army vows to avenge deadly Sinai attack

At least 16 officers killed and others wounded in armed attack on police station near the border with Israel.

At least 16 Egyptian police officers have been killed and others wounded in an armed attack on a police station in north Sinai on the border between Egypt and Israel, authorities say.

The assault at Karem Abu Salem crossing took place on Sunday after gunmen reportedly tried to smash their way across the border into Israel.

Egyptian state television said that armed foreign fighters were behind the attack.

Mohamed Morsi promised t tighten control on Sinai

Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's president, held an urgent meeting with the country's military, and promised a strong response to the attack.

The president issued a statement in which he expressed condolences to the families who lost soldiers in this attack, but also issued an unprecedented stern warning in which he said that this attack will not go lightly and that the perpetrators will pay the price dearly.

A senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to reporters, said seven other guards were wounded in the attack.

He said the attackers seized an armoured vehicle before driving away.

Ehud Barak: A Jihad Group carried out the attack

Israel said the attackers commandeered two Egyptian vehicles and tried to storm its border.

One of the vehicles exploded and the second was targeted by Israeli aircraft, Avital Leibovich, a military spokeswoman, said, adding that an unspecified number of the assailants were killed while trying to escape.

Ofir Gendelman, Israeli government spokesman, said seven attackers were killed, four on the Israeli side and three in Egypt.

She said Israeli soldiers were combing the area for other assailants who might still be on the Israeli side of the border. The military instructed Israeli civilians to stay inside their homes.

Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, said the attack showed need for "determined Egyptian action" to impose security and "prevent terror in Sinai".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Thanks to the determined action of the (Israeli army) and the Shin Bet (internal security agency), a big attack against Israeli civilians was prevented."

In a statement, a spokesman for Netanyahu said: "The terrorists who killed the Egyptian security men seized two Egyptian military vehicles and tried to storm the Israeli border."

Hamas Steps Up Border Security After Sinai Attack

Egypt's army promised "revenge" on Monday after Islamist gunmen killed 16 of the country's soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula and then launched a failed attack on Israel.