JERUSALEM — Israeli troops have killed an unidentified man who illegally crossed into Israel through the porous border with Egypt’s Sinai desert.

A military statement says soldiers patrolling the border overnight spotted a group of people who had breached the frontier. It says the soldiers called on the people to stop, but the infiltrators opened fire, drawing return fire from the Israeli troops.

The military said Tuesday that one man was killed and the others fled back to Egyptian territory.

Israel is building an electronic barrier along the 150-mile (230-kilometer) border with Egypt to keep out militants and African migrants.

The Sinai has become increasingly lawless since Egypt’s longtime President Hosni Mubarak was toppled last year.