The Israeli army has placed an Iron Dome
air defence system battery by the Red Sea resort of Eilat near the
border with Egypt, a statement from the military said on Thursday.
“An Iron Dome Active Missile Defence
System battery is currently deployed near Eilat as part of its
operational deployment programne, which includes changing the locations
of the batteries from time to time,” the statement read.
The deployment comes amid tensions in
that area. Israeli authorities said that on June 17 two rockets fired
from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula exploded in southern Israel. On April 5 a
rocket fired from Sinai hit Eilat, causing no casualties.
Unrest in and around the Gaza Strip also
flared up last month after a deadly cross-border attack from Sinai
which left one Israeli civilian dead.
An Israeli defence official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, stressed that the deployment “was not for
operational ends, rather for preparation and acquaintance with the
territory and calibration.”
The official said the system has been in
place since Monday, and that it was the first time the Iron Dome system
has been deployed near the southern resort.
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