Iron Dome batter in Eilat
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Iron Dome installed in Eilat
Missile shield battery arrives in southern city in an effort to calibrate its sensors to the local terrain
An Iron Dome battery has been installed on the outskirts of Eilat for the second time this summer, only days after fragments of a Grad rocket were found in the southern city.
The missile shield's interceptors have been placed northwest of the city on Sunday, within a few hundred meters of a residential neighborhood – not far from the site where a Grad appeared to have exploded last week. The rocket's fragments were found two days after Eilat residents reported hearing two loud blasts.
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Also on Sunday, the IDF stopped searching for a second rocket, concluding that only one was fired.
The battery has been placed in a mountainous area that is not visible from Highway 12, which leads down to the resort city. The area is adjacent to Egypt's Sinai peninsula, a region that evidently yielded three rocket attacks in recent months.
Interceptors in Eilat on Sunday (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that the measure was part of the effort to familiarize the Iron Dome system with the topography of regions across the country. The missile shield is expected to remain in place for several days until the calibration process is completed.
Last week an Iron Dome battery was installed near the northern city of Safed, also as part of the process; similar deployment is expected in various regions nationwide in the upcoming months.
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