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Israel to Deploy Iron Dome Missile Defense at Egyptian Border

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Following a recent spate of rocket attacks from the Sinai Peninsula into southern Israel, the Israeli government issued a statement last week saying it would deploy a battery of Iron Dome missile interceptors In Eilat, near Israel’s borders with Egypt and Jordan. In June, two rockets were fired near Uvda and Mitzpe Ramon but no one was hurt. Israeli media has reported that this move will mark the first time that the U.S. funded interceptors will be set up in this region. Until now, they have exclusively been used to protect against Palestinian attacks from the Gaza Strip. 

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the battery “will be placed near Eilat as part of an operational deployment program which includes changing the locations of the batteries from time to time.” An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the interceptors were set up near Eilat in the last few weeks. Iron Dome, a system produced in Israel with U.S. funding, uses radar-guided missiles to blow up Katyusha-style rockets with ranges of 5-70 km (3-45 miles) and mortar bombs in mid-air.

Since the January 25th revolution that inspired the popular uprising which led to the ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Israel›s border with Egypt has grown tense as the «cold peace» that had endured between the two countries since the historic 1979 peace agreement is now in possible jeopardy. With the emergence of radical elements in Egypt, most notably the rise to prominence of the Muslim Brotherhood and the recent election of Muhammed Morsi as president, political observers have indicated that Cairo›s future political agenda as it pertains to Israel could be replete with less than peaceful objectives.

Israeli foreign ministry sources told McClatchy newspaper reporters that Morsi is uninterested in forging ties with Israel. “This is a man we don’t feel will be interested in enhancing the ties between Israel and Egypt,” said the IDF source. “This is a man who might want to weaken those ties.”

Most recently, the natural gas pipeline between Egypt and Israel has been closed indefinitely due to attacks perpetrated by Egyptian militants. Israel had received 40 percent of its gas supplies from Egypt under a 2005 agreement in which Egypt undertook to allocate 7 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas to the Israeli market for 20 years, with an option to double the supply.

So far this year, two rockets fired across the frontier have struck Eilat, although no casualties were reported. Egypt has denied they were launched from its territory. Eight Israelis died in another cross-border attack in that area last August and last month an unidentified gunman crossed Egypt›s Sinai border and killed an Israeli worker.

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