JERUSALEM — Israeli troops thwarted a terror attack on Israel’s border with Egypt.

During a routine patrol on the Israel-Egypt border to prevent smuggling, Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the middle of stopping a smuggling attempt saw a man leave a bag on the Israeli side of the border and then flee back into Egypt. The bag was later found to contain a “powerful explosive device,” according to a statement from the IDF.

The device was later detonated in a controlled explosion by army sappers.

Terrorists likely were planning to use the explosive device as a roadside bomb against Israel soldiers patrolling near the southern border, according to the IDF.

“This incident is a reminder that the smuggling routes along the Israel-Egypt border are constantly being used by terror organizations to execute terror attacks against the citizens of Israel and IDF soldiers. The alertness of the soldiers and their success in this operation prevented a terror attack against the State of Israel and its residents,” the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement.