IDF shoots, wounds man who approached Iron Dome in Eilat

The man refused calls to stop moving forward, says IDF spokesperson; and investigation has been opened into the incident.

By BEN HARTMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF
Iron Dome battery 370 (photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Iron Dome battery 370
(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Soldiers shot and wounded a man on Thursday who approached an Iron Dome anti-missile battery outside Eilat and refused calls to stop.
Police officers arrested the man and took him to the city’s Joseftal Hospital, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said. It was not able to say who the man was or if he was armed at the time.
The Iron Dome battery is under heavy security at its location outside the city.
The wounded man is an Arab Israeli in his late 20s or early 30s and police had not yet questioned him, Eilat police said.
He was undergoing treatment and only after the hospital discharged him would he be taken to the Eilat station for questioning, officers said.
The Iron Dome missile defense battery was stationed near Eilat in July 2013 amid increased unrest and instability in the Egypt, particularly in the Sinai region.
Since its deployment, the system has intercepted rockets fired at Eilat in August 2013 and January of this year.