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| Israel Intercepts Rocket Headed for Resort City | Israel Intercepts Rocket Headed for Resort City |
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| JERUSALEM — Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system intercepted a rocket that was fired from the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and headed for the southern resort city of Eilat early Tuesday, according to the Israeli military, the first time the military shield has been used to protect the city. | |
| The rocket attack came at the height of the summer vacation season, when the city is packed with Israeli and foreign tourists. Witnesses told the Israeli news media that sirens went off after 1 a.m., and that booms were heard over the city as the rocket was intercepted. | |
| Islamic militants operating across the Egyptian border in the southern Sinai Peninsula have fired rockets a few times at Eilat in recent years. So far, they have all fallen in empty spaces in and around the city, causing no casualties. | Islamic militants operating across the Egyptian border in the southern Sinai Peninsula have fired rockets a few times at Eilat in recent years. So far, they have all fallen in empty spaces in and around the city, causing no casualties. |
| An Islamic militant group calling itself Majlis Shura Al-Majahedin Fi Aknaf Bayt Al-Maqdis claimed credit for the attack, saying it was revenge for the killing of four of its fighters in northern Sinai on Friday, according to Israel Radio. | An Islamic militant group calling itself Majlis Shura Al-Majahedin Fi Aknaf Bayt Al-Maqdis claimed credit for the attack, saying it was revenge for the killing of four of its fighters in northern Sinai on Friday, according to Israel Radio. |
| Some news reports from Egypt at the time said that the militants had been killed in an Israeli missile strike, possibly launched from a remotely piloted drone, and suggested that the strike had been carried out in coordination with Egypt. | Some news reports from Egypt at the time said that the militants had been killed in an Israeli missile strike, possibly launched from a remotely piloted drone, and suggested that the strike had been carried out in coordination with Egypt. |
| The Israeli military and government have not confirmed or denied the reports, but Egyptian officials have denied reports of Israeli attacks inside their territory. | |
| An Iron Dome battery was deployed in Eilat last month against a background of rising tensions along the Israel-Egypt border. Militants have been attacking Egyptian forces in Sinai almost daily, and the Egyptian military has intensified its campaign against the extremist groups operating there. | An Iron Dome battery was deployed in Eilat last month against a background of rising tensions along the Israel-Egypt border. Militants have been attacking Egyptian forces in Sinai almost daily, and the Egyptian military has intensified its campaign against the extremist groups operating there. |
| Israel developed the Iron Dome system, which shoots down rockets with a radar-guided missile, with significant American financing and rolled out the first mobile units in 2011. Several are now deployed around the country, and Israeli officials say the system has proved itself, intercepting rockets with a success rate of 80 to 90 percent during periods of confrontation with Hamas-run Gaza. | |
| Israel closed its small airport in Eilat for about two hours on Thursday because of what the military called “security assessments.” According to a former senior Israeli defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of relations between Israel and Egypt, the decision to shut down the airport came after Egypt warned of a potential attack there originating in Sinai. | Israel closed its small airport in Eilat for about two hours on Thursday because of what the military called “security assessments.” According to a former senior Israeli defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of relations between Israel and Egypt, the decision to shut down the airport came after Egypt warned of a potential attack there originating in Sinai. |
| Jody Sirota, a resident of Eilat who heads the Ministry of Tourism Information Center in the city, said that some people did not know what to do at first when the sirens sounded but that calm had been restored quickly. | Jody Sirota, a resident of Eilat who heads the Ministry of Tourism Information Center in the city, said that some people did not know what to do at first when the sirens sounded but that calm had been restored quickly. |
| “I’ve been on the beach and the promenade,” she said, speaking by telephone at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday. “People are swimming and sitting in the coffee houses. The stores are full. Everything is normal.” | “I’ve been on the beach and the promenade,” she said, speaking by telephone at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday. “People are swimming and sitting in the coffee houses. The stores are full. Everything is normal.” |