Jordan says it has proof that Aqaba rocket was fired from Egypt’s Sinai

Jordan: Proof that rockets fired from Egypt

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan said Tuesday it has evidence that a rocket attack on its Red Sea port originated from neighboring Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

For its part, Egypt has strongly denied that any of the rockets fired at Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat on Monday came from its soil.

It was the second such attack this year, following a similar volley in April that Israeli authorities also say was fired from Egypt.

This time around, however, one of the rockets hit Jordan’s Aqaba port killing one and injuring four.

The attack took place in a narrow area of the Red Sea coast where the Israeli and Jordanian ports are located side by side, both popular tourist destinations.

A top Jordanian government official said Jordan had evidence that the rockets were fired from the Sinai, but would not elaborate on its precise nature.

The official insisted on anonymity citing diplomatic sensitivities because Jordan does not want to publicly embarrass Egypt.

He said Jordan did not believe it was the target of the rocket attack.

An Egyptian intelligence official, however said that police backed by 100 Bedouin trackers combed the area where the rocket supposedly came from and said there was nothing.

He added that the region close to the border was also covered by surveillance cameras which saw nothing.

“They (Jordanians and Israelis) said that the rocket was fired from the Pharaoh hotel. We searched and we found nothing,” he said.

“If the rocket was fired from near the hotel, it is impossible to reach Eilat or Aqaba because of the distance. Rockets can’t fly 25 kilometers (15 miles),” he said speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Soviet-style Grad rockets of the type used by militants in Lebanon and Gaza, however, are known to have ranges of at least 25 miles (40 kilometers).

He said he believed the rockets were fired from a mountain in Israel by Palestinian militants.