The IDF announced on Tuesday night that Highway 12 in southern Israel will be re-opened to traffic as per orders from Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot.
The road, which was closed off last Friday due to the danger posed by fighting between the Islamic State (ISIS) group and the Egyptian military in the Sinai, was re-opened as of midnight Tuesday.
The highway circumvents the mountains of Eilat from the north and west, and connects Eilat to Highway 10 and Highway 40, which lead toward central Israel.
“The road will open from midnight tonight to traffic, in light of security assessments and in accordance with security considerations,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The IDF is doing everything in its power to maintain the routines of the residents of the State of Israel, while maintaining security,” added the statement.
The closure of the highway came a day after a group associated with ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula launched a coordinated attack against Egypt that killed 50 Egyptian soldiers.
Highway 12 was closed on and off for a period of 10 months between August 2011 and June 2012, following coordinated terrorist attacks in that killed eight Israelis who were travelling to Eilat, and again after the IAF eliminated a senior terrorist from the Popular Resistance Committees.