WarSclerotic

Israel Police officers discovered the shell of a Grad rocket fired at Eilat late Thursday night after residents heard explosions in the area.

Large forces of IDF and police are sweeping the city for additional rockets, focusing on the southern neighborhood of Shahmon, where the explosions were heard loudest. Bomb sappers are also on the scene, Army Radio reported.

No casualties were reported in the attack, but a number of citizens suffered shock symptoms and were treated by medical personnel on scene.

Eilat District Police commander Ron Gertner said that the southern city has been on full alert due to the upcoming Passover holiday, Israel Radio reported.

Gertner added that Eilat has been reinforced by additional forces that have arrived to assist police in handling the aftermath of the rocket fire incident.

Israeli authorities are coordinating with their counterparts in Jordan to discover the source of the rocket fire, according to Army Radio. The IDF stated that it is investigating the incident.

Rocket attacks in Eilat are rare but not unheard of.

In August 2010, five rockets landed in the area around Eilat, killing one Jordanian and injuring three more, in front of the Intercontinental Hotel. Two of the rockets exploded in Jordan, a third north of Eilat’s hotel area, and two more in the Red Sea. The projectiles were thought to be Grad-type Katyushas launched from the Sinai Peninsula.

Sinai has also served as a springboard for terrorist incursions into Israeli territory. The most recent incident in August 2011 left seven Israelis dead and dozens wounded in a sophisticated multi-stage attack. The Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack,

Israel has called on Egypt to increase its efforts to restore order in Sinai and to prevent attacks, but the Egyptian military has held back from dismantling the Hamas infrastructure in the peninsula. The IDF has beefed up its forces along the border and recently established a new regional brigade that is responsible for defending Eilat and nearby areas.

Yaakov Katz contributed to this report