Egypt: 'Impossible' that rockets were fired from Sinai

Five rockets fell near Eilat, reportedly killing 1, injuring 3 in Jordan; suspected to have been launched from Sinai; IDF scouring area to determine source of attacks.

By YAAKOV KATZ, JPOST.COM STAFF
Eilat 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Eilat 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Egyptian officials Monday denied that the five rockets which fell near Eilat during the morning were fired from Sinai, a statement that ran counter to initial Israeli reports on the attack.
"No rockets were launched from the Sinai," said Egyptian sources. "To launch rockets from Egypt, it takes equipment and complicated logistical preparations. It is impossible, since the Sinai Peninsula has heavy security."
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 The rockets landed in the area around Eilat Monday morning, one of which killed one person and injured three more in nearby Jordan, in front of the Intercontinental Hotel, according to an AFP report. One of the casualties was in serious condition, the other three were lightly wounded. 
A second rocket also landed on the Jordanian side of the border, a third north of Eilat's hotel area, and two more in the Red
Sea. The projectiles were Grad-type Katyushas, suspected to have been launched from the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
According to an IDF statement, soldiers were scouring the area to determine the source of the attacks, which was unclear. The IDF was in contact with the Jordanian and Egyptian armies regarding the incident.
Rocket attacks in Eilat are rare but not unheard of, with two attacks having occurred in the last five years.
In April, two
rockets fired landed in Eilat and the adjacent Jordanian port of Aqaba.
In 2005 a rocket fired from Jordan landed next to the Eilat airport and two others missed a US
Navy vessel docked at the nearby Jordanian port of Aqaba. No one was reported hurt. A group linked with al- Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack.
In January 2007, a deadly attack by a Palestinian suicide bomber in Eilat killed three men working at a bakery. Both Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs claimed responsibility for the attack.