April 5, 2012

JERUSALEM (JTA) — 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 fence. It can’t stop missiles but we will find a solution for that. We will strike those who aim to harm us,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday morning.

He said the Sinai was “turning into a terrorist base.”

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. 
 

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