An IDF soldier was lightly injured on Sunday night by a gunshot while manning a checkpoint near the city of Modi’in.

The 19-year-old soldier was evacuated to the Tel Hashomer hospital in serious condition. Further examinations determined he was in light condition.

The IDF stated that the soldier was injured by “erroneous gunfire.”

An initial inquiry shows he may have been shot by another soldier who was playing with his weapon.

The Ministry of Health updated Sunday that it documented 3,014 new COVID-19 cases over the past day.

Of the 49,886 tests done over the weekend, 6.2% returned positive.

872 of the patients hospitalized with Corona are in serious condition, 296 of them are on life support.

Over 4,250,600 Israelis have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, some 45.9% of the population.

5,536 Israelis have died of the virus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday with US President Joe Biden, almost a month after Biden took office and after an upheaval in the media.

Some perceived the delay as a snub from Washington or signaling a chilling of ties between the two allies.

However, the Prime Minister’s Office stated that the conversation was “very warm and friendly” and continued for approximately one hour.

The two leaders “noted their longstanding personal connection and said that they would work together to continue strengthening the steadfast alliance between Israel and the US.”

The two have known each other for decades.

Biden and Netanyahu further “discussed the future advancement of the peace accords, the Iranian threat and regional challenges, and agreed to continue their dialogue.”

Biden commended Netanyahu “on his leadership in the fight against the Coronavirus; the two exchanged ideas on ways to deal with the pandemic,” the PMO stated.

The White House stated that Biden “affirmed his personal history of steadfast commitment to Israel’s security and conveyed his intent to strengthen all aspects of the US-Israel partnership, including our strong defense cooperation.”

They also discussed “the importance of continued close consultation on regional security issues, including Iran.”

Biden emphasized the US’ “support for the recent normalization of relations between Israel and countries in the Arab and Muslim world. He underscored the importance of working to advance peace throughout the region, including between Israelis and Palestinians.”

They “affirmed their shared interest in continued strategic cooperation to confront the many challenges facing the region,” the White House said.

Biden’s call to Netanyahu was the first with a leader in the Middle East.

Israeli forces were successful in thwarting a drug smuggling operation on the border with Egypt, at the end of which they seized tens of kilos of drugs worth some NIS two million.

IDF lookouts identified on Tuesday night a number of suspects who tried to smuggle drugs from Egyptian territory into Israeli territory, in the area of the Paran regional brigade.

IDF troops operating in the area thwarted the smuggling and seized a number of bags containing drugs with an estimated value of two million shekels that were transferred to the Israel Police.

Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Naaman Heller, who commanded the forces, lauded the “successful and significant thwarting, thanks to the alertness of forces and quality preparation for this type of event.”

Israeli forces periodically clash with smugglers on the border with Egypt, a major smuggling route for drugs, weapons and women into Israel.

An IDF soldier was lightly injured Friday night while thwarting a drug smuggling operation on Israel’s border with Egypt.

IDF troops operating to thwart a drug smuggling operation on the Egyptian border found themselves in the vicinity of a violent exchange of fire between the smugglers and the Egyptian army.

An IDF vehicle in the area was hit in the shooting. An IDF soldier who was in the vehicle was lightly injured in the hand by shrapnel and was evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital.

The smuggling from Egypt into Israel is mostly the work of local Bedouin tribes.

IDF troops arrested on Monday night two Arabs who had crossed the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The two were found to be armed with several knives.

No one was wounded in the incident.

Infiltration attempts on the border with the Strip happen several times a week, usually by Gazan Arabs seeking work in Israel. However, the Israeli forces treat each such incident as a potential terrorist attack.