Smugglers breach Israel's southern border fence

Egyptian smugglers have already breached Israel's new barrier on the southern border, an Israeli news site reported Wednesday. The alleged smugglers used "hydraulic and mechanical" means to cut through last month, Ynet news reported. They took advantage of a blind spot in the fence, according to the report. The Israeli army detained several suspects, Ynet said. Israel hopes to complete the barrier by the end of 2012. When finished, the fence will run most of the 266 kilometers from Eilat up to the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials. Last month Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Sinai had turned into a "kind of Wild West" exploited by Islamist militants with Iranian help to smuggle in weapons and stage attacks. On Monday, Israel also started building a wall along a 1-km stretch of its border with Lebanon, saying the barrier was necessary to boost security for a frontier town across from a Lebanese village.