An Israeli soldier was stabbed to death at a bus stop in southern Israel Thursday night, in what authorities believe may have been a terror attack.

The incident occurred at 9:26 p.m. in the southern Israeli town of Arad, east of Beer Sheva.

MDA emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the stabbing, but were forced to declare the victim after attempting to resuscitate him.

Police say the stabbing took place at a bus station near a local mall, and that they are still investigating the circumstances of the incident.

The assailant fled the scene shortly after the stabbing and remains at large. Police units are searching the surrounding area for the suspect.

MDA paramedic Ziv Shapira described the scene of the stabbing: “When we arrived, we saw a young man, roughly 20 years old, who was lying on the ground unconscious and with no vital signs, and with stab wounds across his upper torso.”

“We provided life-saving medical care and performed advanced resuscitation techniques, but we were ultimately forced to declare him dead at the scene.”