BICOM

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence system successfully intercepted a rocket fired at the southern resort city of Eilat late last night.

Air-raid sirens sounded shortly before 1:00am local time and local residents heard two explosions in the area according to YNet. At least one rocket was destroyed by the Iron Dome system and IDF and police units scoured the area for evidence of further landing sites, but none have so far been reported. YNet says that Palestinian sources report the extremist Salafist group Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, which operates from Sinai, claimed responsibility for last night’s rocket fire. There were no injuries and no damage was caused by last night’s incident.

However, it underscores the continued tension on Israel’s border with the Sinai Peninsula, which has become increasingly lawless and violent since the fall of Egypt’s ousted premier Mohammed Morsi. In a series of incidents, Islamist groups have attacked Egyptian security positions. In a bid to restore order, Egypt’s military has deployed significant forces in Sinai, with Israel’s permission, as required by the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace agreement.

The violence has also threatened Israel, with two Grad rockets fired from Sinai at the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat in April. About a month ago, a further rocket was fired from Sinai into Israel, landing harmlessly in an open area outside Eilat. Last month, Israel decided to deploy the Iron Dome system in Eilat for the first time, in an indication of increased security concern. Only last week, Eilat airport was temporarily closed due to an unspecified security threat. The following day, a cell of armed Islamists in Sinai was killed by an air strike. Reuters suggested that an Israeli Air Force drone, in cooperation with Egyptian forces, had been responsible for the strike. However, Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon issued a statement emphasising that Israel “respects Egypt’s full sovereignty.”