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Two rockets hit Eilat; no casualties reported – Diplomacy & Defense – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

Police order residents to stay indoors; Iron Dome missile defense system may have malfunctioned.

 

 

Two rockets hit Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat on Wednesday, as residents reported at least two explosions in the south of the city. Police began searching for rocket debris.

 

Police said so far there are no reports of casualties or damage.

 

An Eilat resident told Army Radio he took shelter in the stairwell, after hearing two sirens go off. One rocket reportedly hit a courtyard.

 

Police have ordered residents to stay indoors. Airspace over the city has been closed off.

 

The mayor, Meir Yitzhak Halevy, told Army Radio that the rockets, apparently fired from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, struck open areas.

 

Army Radio said there were reports that two rockets had also hit the neighboring Jordanian city of Aqaba.

 

The Iron Dome system deployed outside Eilat last month may have malfunctioned or had been unable to lock onto the rockets.

 

Last August, an Iron Dome anti-missile system battery was positioned outside the city after Grad rockets were fired at Eilat.

 

Deploying the battery of rocket interceptors near Eilat was part of a process of testing the active defense system all over the country.

IDF Spokesman said at the time: “The Iron Dome system is in a process of testing, part of which involves positioning a battery from time to time in various locations around the country. As part of this program, the [system] is being deployed for testing near Eilat.”

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