HAARETZ (Israel), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), AFP
EILAT —Israel says it intercepted a rocket fired from Sinai, Egypt over the southern city of Eilat early Tuesday. The attack, first reported by Israeli public radio, was later confirmed by an army spokesman.
The Mujahideen Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, Al Jazeera reports. The group of fighters said the rocket was fired as “a quick response to the last crime by the Jews after one of their drones bombed the Sinai peninsula killing four mujahideen” on Friday.
The rocket was intercepted and destroyed by an Iron Dome battery near Eilat. Meir Yitzhak-Halevy, the resort city’s mayor, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that there had been no panic among the tourists and inhabitants. He tried to reassure his citizens by declaring that he felt “secure.”
Meanwhile, Jerusalem has approved a construction plan for 942 new homes in the Eastern part of the city. The announcement comes as the U.S.-sponsored peace talks between Israel and Palestine are due to resume Wednesday in Jerusalem. These new settlements are in addition to the 1,200 approved by the Israeli government on Sunday.
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Iron Dome system intercepting and destroying a rocket - Photo: Israel Defense Forces (Flickr)
