Israel intercepts rocket fired from Egyptian territory

A funeral convoy carrying the bodies of 4 militants drives through Sinai Arish – Yosry Mohamed Israel intercepted and destroyed a rocket fired from Egyptian territory at the Red Sea town of Eilat overnight, Israeli public radio said Tuesday. A jihadist group had earlier said they fired a Grad rocket at Eilat in retaliation for an alleged Israeli air raid.
An army spokeswoman confirmed the attempted rocket attack and its interception by an Iron Dome battery near Eilat to AFP, but did not say where the rocket originated.
Last month, Israel deployed a battery of its Iron Dome missile defence system near Eilat, which is next to the border with Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula.
The Mujahideen Shura Council, an armed Al-Qaeda-linked group, said in a statement published on a jihadist forum its fighters fired the rocket at 1:00 am (2300 GMT Monday).
The group, which is active in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the occupied territories of the Gaza Strip, said in a statement that the strikes were, “in quick response to the latest Jewish crime which killed four Mujahedeen ?in Sinai by a Jewish unmanned aircraft.”  The statement added that “the Mujahedeen Shura Council was ?able to shell the occupied city Um Rashrash (Eilat) with a Grad rocket.”
The group threatened Israel with more attacks, saying, “We ensure that neither Eilat nor any other Jewish ?city will enjoy security, tourism or economy. The Jews will pay much for the blood of the ?Mujahedeen.”
Five security sources told Reuters that Israel did in fact carry out the attack on Egyptian soil , but the Egyptian armed forces have officially denied that was the case.
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis criticized the Egyptian military for what it called its “repeated cooperation with Israel.”
According to security sources, all the border points between Egypt and Israel are currently being checked ?for any unauthorised movement.
A number of Islamist groups in Sinai have announced that they would launch attacks against Israel in ?revenge for the deaths.
In a statement, the Egyptian army armed reinforcement will be sent to al-Arish, North Sinai, to take part in the military ?operations against “the terrorist Jihadist groups.”
Dozens of Islamist fighters were killed and injured last Sunday after Egyptian Air Force Apache helicopters fired rockets along the border with Israel.
Israel's Environment Minister Amir Peretz told army radio on Tuesday he hoped   cooperation between Israeli and Egyptian security services will bear fruit and allow us to maintain calm in the region."
Militants based mainly in north Sinai near Israel's border have escalated attacks on Egyptian security forces and other targets since July 3, when the army ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi and installed a new government in Cairo.
But the army has been reluctant to confront the militants inside towns in order not to provoke the tight-knit tribes, military sources say.
The army said it had killed nearly 70 "terrorists" since Morsi's ouster.
Eilat has been the target of attacks in the past.
In April, it was struck by rocket fire from the Sinai, and debris from a rocket that hit northern Eilat on July 4 was found days later.