IDF hummer near Egyptian border (file)
IDF hummer near Egyptian border (file)Moshe Shai/Flash 90

The IDF is taking extra precautions along Israel's southern borders on Wednesday, after a group associated with the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Sinai Peninsula launched a coordinated attack against Egypt that killed 50 Egyptian soldiers. 

One hour after the attack security officials closed the Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings, according to Maariv, after they deemed both as potential attack sites. Trucks and employees at the crossings have also been evacuated from the area. 

Residents of the Ramat Negev Regional Council said that they heard sounds of explosions in the area, and in the afternoon they met with the commander of the southern sector to have him update them as part of a meeting held once every few months.

Some residents have received text messages on their mobile devices which stated that "due to the events in Sinai, the IDF is preparing accordingly and security coordinators have briefed. There may be an increased activity of security forces in the area, we would like to be vigilant."

Agricultural workers near the border were also asked to clear the area for the remainder of the afternoon. 

The attacks included a suicide car bomb detonated against a military checkpoint at Sheikh Zuweid in northern Sinai, which caused most of the casualties. There were also apparently multiple attacks on other military checkpoints and an explosive device was detonated on a major highway.

About seventy terrorists simultaneously attacked five checkpoints in the area, security sources say, and some 39 terrorists were killed in the clashes, according to the Egyptian military.

In response, the Egyptian air force pounded jihadist targets in the Sinai Peninsula, which has been at the epicenter of a years-long Islamist insurgency.