Missile hits warehouse in Red Sea port of Aqaba; none hurt.
By YAAKOV KATZ, APEilat and Aqaba 311(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski )
The IDF was investigating on Thursday whether what appeared to be a Katyusha rocket fired into Jordan was in fact targeting the Israeli resort city of Eilat.The missile struck just over the border early Thursday morning, hitting a warehouse in Aqaba. Jordanian information minister Nabil al-Sharif said initial investigations indicated the missile was a Russian-designed Grad fired from somewhere outside Jordan.Israeli officials said they, too, were looking into the source of the rocket and by Thursday night had yet to rule out the possibility that it was fired from the Sinai Peninsula.An Egyptian security official, however, denied that any rockets were fired from Sinai. Al-Sharif said the missile damaged a refrigerated warehouse on Aqaba’s northern outskirts. No deaths or injuries were reported.The IDF searched the Eilat area and released a statement saying thatflashes in the sky had been spotted and explosions were heard but thatno rockets landed in Israeli territory.This would not have been the first time rockets were fired at Eilat. In2005, al-Qaida operatives launched Katyusha rockets into the city.Israeli officials said it was possible that in this case, too, therocket was fired from Jordan.The apparent attack came on the heels of a travel advisory issued bythe Counter-Terrorism Bureau last week which warned Israelis toimmediately leave the Sinai Peninsula, citing “concrete evidence” of anexpected terrorist attempt to kidnap Israelis.
