Israel’s Iron Dome interceptor struck a missile fired near Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula early on Tuesday, exploding it in the air over the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a military official said.
Israel’s Ynet website said it was the first time Israel’s Iron Dome interceptor had struck a missile fired at Eilat.
Although no damage or injury was reported in the incident, air raid sirens were set off as explosions reverberated in the skies over the desert hills surrounding Eilat, according to Reuters news agency.
The military official declined to say where the missile had exactly originated from, Reuters reported.
Earlier, a group of jihadist fighters said they had fired a Grad rocket on Eilat in retaliation for an alleged Israeli air raid, according to AFP news agency.
The Mujahideen Shura Council, an armed al-Qaeda-linked group, said in a statement published on a jihadist forum its fighters fired the rocket at 1:00 am (2300 GMT Monday).
The rocket, fired from the Sinai, was “a quick response to the last crime by the Jews after one of their drones bombed the Sinai peninsula killing four mujahideen” on Friday.
(With AFP and Reuters)
