<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to boost cooperation Tuesday after an Egyptian policeman shot dead three Israeli soldiers before being killed, officials said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Sisi received a telephone call from Netanyahu about Saturday's deadly violence on the normally calm border, the spokesman for the Egyptian president said.</div><div><br></div><div>During the conversation, the two leaders stressed "the importance of coordination between the two countries to clarify the circumstances", he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Egypt has said the policeman crossed into Israel while chasing drug smugglers, leading to exchanges of fire with Israeli soldiers.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday, Netanyahu called the Egyptian shooter a "terrorist" although he has since mostly spoken of the shootings as an "incident".</div><div><br></div><div>Sisi offered Netanyahu his "deep condolences", the Israeli prime minister's office said.</div><div><br></div><div>"The two leaders expressed their commitment to further strengthening peace and security cooperation, which is an essential value for both countries," it added.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel's border with Egypt has been largely quiet since Egypt became the first Arab country to make peace with Israel following the Camp David accords of 1978.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent years, there have been exchanges of fire between smugglers and Israeli soldiers stationed along the border.</div><div><br></div><div>Questions have been raised about why the Egyptian assailant -- reported by Egyptian media to have been a 22-year-old conscript -- crossed into Israel and opened fire.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at the opening of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said his government had sent a "clear message" to Egypt: "We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough."</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, his office said he had "thanked the Egyptian president for... his commitment to an exhaustive and joint investigation of the incident". - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>