John2
02-08-10, 09:51
Rockets explode in Eilat, Aqaba; casualties in Jordan
(Video) Rocket apparently fired by terrorists in Sinai explodes in open area in Israel's southernmost city; three more land in Red Sea; another rocket hits Aqaba, injuring four
Ahuva Mamos
Latest Update: 08.02.10, 08:55
VIDEO - Five rockets were fired towards Eilat and the Jordanian port city of Aqaba Monday morning. There were no reports of injury or damage in Eilat. One of the projectiles landed in an open area in Israel's southernmost city, three more landed in the Red Sea - two of them in Jordanian territory - while a fifth rocket hit Aqaba.
Jordanian authorities said a Grad rocket landed near vehicles parked at the entrance to the InterContinental Hotel in Aqaba. Local media outlets reported that four people were injured in the attack. The hotel's public relations director told Ynet it was not damaged.
Video: Reuters
The IDF estimates the rockets were fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by Global Jihad terrorists. Large police forces have been dispatched to the scene.
Residents reported hearing loud explosions at around 7:55 am. Avi Cohen, an Eilat resident, witnessed a number of the rocket hits. He told Ynet, "There was a series of booms. The building shook a little. There is a lot of complacency in the city at the moment, but if rockets fired from Sinai start exploding here, this is liable to ruin the tourist economy during the best month of the year. We mustn't forget that the French are on their way."
Eilat Mayor Yitzhak Halevy told Ynet that he was surprised by the rocket that landed Monday morning in the city and said, "Fundamentalist movements are trying to sow mayhem in the area."
According to the mayor, the tourists are not leaving the city and the rescue forces are trained and prepared for the possibility of rocket fire.
Eilat, the Jordanian port of Aqaba and nearby Egyptian Red Sea resorts have in the past seen violence perpetrated at the hands of Islamist terrorists.
At least one rocket struck Aqaba on April 22, causing no casualties. Amman said the rocket had been fired from outside Jordan and Israeli media spoke of the Egyptian Sinai as a possible launch point.
In 2005, rockets were fired at US warships in Aqaba's port but missed their target and killed a Jordanian soldier on land. A group claiming links to al-Qaeda said it was behind the attack.
Two years later, a Palestinian suicide bomber infiltrated through the Sinai and killed three people at an Eilat bakery.
Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab states to have full peace accords with Israel. Those ties were frayed by Israel's crackdown in 2000 on a Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Hanan Greenberg, Boaz Fyler, Reuters and Atilla Somfalvi contributed to the report
(Video) Rocket apparently fired by terrorists in Sinai explodes in open area in Israel's southernmost city; three more land in Red Sea; another rocket hits Aqaba, injuring four
Ahuva Mamos
Latest Update: 08.02.10, 08:55
VIDEO - Five rockets were fired towards Eilat and the Jordanian port city of Aqaba Monday morning. There were no reports of injury or damage in Eilat. One of the projectiles landed in an open area in Israel's southernmost city, three more landed in the Red Sea - two of them in Jordanian territory - while a fifth rocket hit Aqaba.
Jordanian authorities said a Grad rocket landed near vehicles parked at the entrance to the InterContinental Hotel in Aqaba. Local media outlets reported that four people were injured in the attack. The hotel's public relations director told Ynet it was not damaged.
Video: Reuters
The IDF estimates the rockets were fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by Global Jihad terrorists. Large police forces have been dispatched to the scene.
Residents reported hearing loud explosions at around 7:55 am. Avi Cohen, an Eilat resident, witnessed a number of the rocket hits. He told Ynet, "There was a series of booms. The building shook a little. There is a lot of complacency in the city at the moment, but if rockets fired from Sinai start exploding here, this is liable to ruin the tourist economy during the best month of the year. We mustn't forget that the French are on their way."
Eilat Mayor Yitzhak Halevy told Ynet that he was surprised by the rocket that landed Monday morning in the city and said, "Fundamentalist movements are trying to sow mayhem in the area."
According to the mayor, the tourists are not leaving the city and the rescue forces are trained and prepared for the possibility of rocket fire.
Eilat, the Jordanian port of Aqaba and nearby Egyptian Red Sea resorts have in the past seen violence perpetrated at the hands of Islamist terrorists.
At least one rocket struck Aqaba on April 22, causing no casualties. Amman said the rocket had been fired from outside Jordan and Israeli media spoke of the Egyptian Sinai as a possible launch point.
In 2005, rockets were fired at US warships in Aqaba's port but missed their target and killed a Jordanian soldier on land. A group claiming links to al-Qaeda said it was behind the attack.
Two years later, a Palestinian suicide bomber infiltrated through the Sinai and killed three people at an Eilat bakery.
Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab states to have full peace accords with Israel. Those ties were frayed by Israel's crackdown in 2000 on a Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Hanan Greenberg, Boaz Fyler, Reuters and Atilla Somfalvi contributed to the report