DesiGuy
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AMMAN: Two military-grade rockets early on Thursday struck in and near Jordan's port of Aqaba, one slamming into a warehouse and the other splashing into the Red Sea, a Jordanian security official said.
No injuries were caused and there was only minimal damage to the warehouse, other Jordanian officials told AFP.
"The preliminary investigation determined that the explosion in the port of Aqaba on Thursday morning was due to a Katyusha rocket," the security official said, citing sources close to investigators.
"A second Katyusha rocket was found in Jordanian territorial waters" of the Red Sea, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Jordanian information minister Nabil Sharif confirmed there had been an explosion at a refrigeration warehouse in northern Aqaba "causing no casualties and minimal damage" and said an investigation had been launched.
Israeli media had reported that a Katyusha rocket splashed into the Red Sea off the Israeli resort of Eilat, less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from Aqaba, and that another had exploded on the outskirts of the Jordanian port.
Channel 10 initially said the rockets were fired from Jordan but later said it was also possible they were launched from Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
Egyptian security officials denied that any rockets had been fired from the Sinai peninsula, a rugged territory that borders southern Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The Sinai was the site of a wave of attacks on tourists between 2004 and 2006 that killed more than 100 people, and last week hundreds of Israelis rushed home from there after an Israeli security alert.
The travel warning concerned an alleged plot to kidnap Israeli tourists.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the incident was under investigation.
"This morning explosions and flashes of light were reported near the city of Eilat," she said.
"The homefront command and the Israeli police searched the city following the reports but no evidence indicating a security-related incident was found.
"A few hours following the incident it was reported that the remains of a Katyusha rocket were discovered near the city of Aqaba, Jordan. The (Israeli military) is currently investigating the source of the launch," she said.
The spokeswoman declined to give the source of the reports.
The Jordanian plant hit by the rocket contains rubber products and lies on the northern outskirts of Aqaba, which belongs to a special economic zone established by the Jordanian city's authorities in 2001.
Aqaba and Eilat are the neighbouring Red Sea ports of Jordan and Israel, which signed a peace agreement in October 1994 after decades of strained ties and conflict.
The two ports are nestled in the Gulf of Aqaba, a narrow stretch of water bordered on one side by Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the other by Saudi Arabia.
In August 2005, three Katyusha rockets were fired in Aqaba, missing two US warships docked in the port. One of the projectiles hit a warehouse, killing a Jordanian soldier, while another landed across the border in Israel.
Rockets strike Jordan near Israel border - Middle East - World - The Times of India
No injuries were caused and there was only minimal damage to the warehouse, other Jordanian officials told AFP.
"The preliminary investigation determined that the explosion in the port of Aqaba on Thursday morning was due to a Katyusha rocket," the security official said, citing sources close to investigators.
"A second Katyusha rocket was found in Jordanian territorial waters" of the Red Sea, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Jordanian information minister Nabil Sharif confirmed there had been an explosion at a refrigeration warehouse in northern Aqaba "causing no casualties and minimal damage" and said an investigation had been launched.
Israeli media had reported that a Katyusha rocket splashed into the Red Sea off the Israeli resort of Eilat, less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from Aqaba, and that another had exploded on the outskirts of the Jordanian port.
Channel 10 initially said the rockets were fired from Jordan but later said it was also possible they were launched from Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
Egyptian security officials denied that any rockets had been fired from the Sinai peninsula, a rugged territory that borders southern Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The Sinai was the site of a wave of attacks on tourists between 2004 and 2006 that killed more than 100 people, and last week hundreds of Israelis rushed home from there after an Israeli security alert.
The travel warning concerned an alleged plot to kidnap Israeli tourists.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the incident was under investigation.
"This morning explosions and flashes of light were reported near the city of Eilat," she said.
"The homefront command and the Israeli police searched the city following the reports but no evidence indicating a security-related incident was found.
"A few hours following the incident it was reported that the remains of a Katyusha rocket were discovered near the city of Aqaba, Jordan. The (Israeli military) is currently investigating the source of the launch," she said.
The spokeswoman declined to give the source of the reports.
The Jordanian plant hit by the rocket contains rubber products and lies on the northern outskirts of Aqaba, which belongs to a special economic zone established by the Jordanian city's authorities in 2001.
Aqaba and Eilat are the neighbouring Red Sea ports of Jordan and Israel, which signed a peace agreement in October 1994 after decades of strained ties and conflict.
The two ports are nestled in the Gulf of Aqaba, a narrow stretch of water bordered on one side by Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the other by Saudi Arabia.
In August 2005, three Katyusha rockets were fired in Aqaba, missing two US warships docked in the port. One of the projectiles hit a warehouse, killing a Jordanian soldier, while another landed across the border in Israel.
Rockets strike Jordan near Israel border - Middle East - World - The Times of India
