April 5, 2012
Rocket from Sinai strikes Eilat
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Israeli police explosive experts remove the remains of a rocket from the ground after it landed in the southern Israeli resort of Eilat on April 5. Photo by REUTERS/Yehuda Ben-Itah/Maariv
A long-range Grad rocket fired from the Egypt hit a near a residential area in Eilat.
The rocket fired from the Sinai Peninsula exploded in the southern resort town early Thursday morning. No injuries were reported. The rocket landed in a construction site, according to reports.
Three explosions were heard in the city, but the other two rockets have not been located, according to reports. City residents and tourists flooded the police and other emergency numbers with concerned calls.
The attack came a day before the start of Passover, when hundreds of tourists – both from Israel and abroad – flock to the Red Sea resort town.
Egypt’s security chief denied that the attack had originated in Sinai, according to the French news agency AFP. However sources told the news service that security officials were investigating the border area for launchers or other evidence.
“We are building a security fence but it will not stop missiles; for this too a situation will be found. We will strike at those who attack us,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday morning.“There can be no immunity for terrorism; it must be fought and we are doing so. In the end, nobody will defend the Jews if the Jews do not defend themselves; this is an important principle.”
He said the Sinai was “turning into a terrorism zone.”
In August 2011, eight Israelis were killed in a terrorist attack on a bus and cars traveling near Eilat. Israel claimed the Palestinian attackers entered Israel through the border with Sinai.
The previous year, several long-range rockets were fired at Eilat from the Sinai.
Israel is currently constructing a 16-foot-tall border fence from Eilat to Gaza, to keep out terrorists and migrants.
