WarSclerotic

Israeli minister says no ‘concrete warning’ of more rocket fire from Sinai – WORLD – Globaltimes.cn.

( Waiting for the Arab and European countries to condemn Israel for shooting down a rocket fired at them from Egypt. It’s definitely an act of aggression on Israel’s part and they want the UN to investigate it. And, of course, the Un will find them guilty and demand an apology.  – JW )

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday he has no information suggesting that Sinai-based militants are planning more rocket attacks against the southern Israeli city of Eilat in the immediate future.

“There is no concrete warning at the moment, but the premise is that there is terrorism in Sinai which could certainly attempt to target (Israel) again,” Ya’alon told reporters during a tour at the borders with Lebanon.

The remarks came hours after Islamist militants claimed responsibility for launching a Grad rocket from Sinai toward Eilat overnight Tuesday, causing no casualties or damage.

An Iron Dome anti-missile battery shot down the projectile, marking the first time the system, operated by the Israel Air Force, has intercepted a rocket over the Red Sea resort.

Most of the Iron Dome anti-missile batteries are deployed at the Israel’s border with Gaza and others stationed at the border with Lebanon.

Israel stationed the system near Eilat last month amid increasing security concerns. The Red Sea resort was targeted by rocket fire in both April and July.

“Regardless of whether there is or there is no alert, we operate under the assumption that the terror activity in Sinai may also reflect on Eilat and other communities bordering Sinai, which is why IDF (Israel defence forces) deployed in the region have been reinforced with good units and an Iron Dome battery,” the minister said in a statement.

He said Eilat residents and the hordes of tourists currently in the city need not alter their routine in the aftermath of the latest rocket fire.

Ya’alon reiterated that Israel “fully respects Egypt’s sovereignty,” in a comment he made Saturday in response to media reports of an alleged Israeli drone strike in northern Sinai a day before, which killed four Islamist militants who were reportedly about to fire missiles at Israeli targets.

“We, of course, fully respect Egyptian sovereignty, and are following the activity of Egypt’s security forces in Sinai, who are working to exterminate the terror nests there,” he said.

Sinai has witnessed more militant activities since longtime Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in 2011.

This entry was posted on August 14, 2013 at 8:38 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.