Israeli military says rockets fired at Egypt came from 200km away

The Egyptian cities of Taba and Nuweiba were each hit with a projectile, causing at least six injuries

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Two rockets fired at the Egyptian Red Sea cities of Taba and Nuweiba, just south of the Egypt-Israel border, probably originated from the Red Sea region from a distance of more than 200 kilometres, an Israeli military spokesman told The National.

At least six people were injured in the hit on a Taba residential area near lodgings for workers and ambulance staff in the resort city, Egyptian security officials said.

No injuries have yet been announced after the hit on Nuweiba, which reportedly landed in an uninhabited desert region near a local power station.

Taba is about 10km south of the Israeli city of Eilat, which was hit by a Hamas rocket on Wednesday night. Nuweiba is about 50km south of Taba.

The Israeli military detected a threat in the Red Sea area on Friday morning, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, adding that fighter jets were sent to the threat area and investigations were under way.

“To our understanding, the impact that occurred in Egypt originates from this threat,” Adm Hagari said.

"Israel will work together with Egypt and the US and tighten the defence against threats from the Red Sea area."

The Iran-backed Houthi army in Yemen is based about 2,000km south-east of Egypt across the Red Sea.

The Houthis have emerged as a major threat to Israeli and US interests in the region.

The group has threatened to escalate its attacks on Israel if it does not cease it siege on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 7,000 Palestinians since it began.

On Tuesday, US Pentagon press secretary Brig Gen Patrick Ryder said the Houthis' mid-range missiles could travel more than 200km.

"I can tell you that it's our assessment that the range of those missiles was likely in excess of 200 kilometres," he said.

Houthi fighters march with Palestinian flags during a military parade in Sanaa, Yemen, October 12, 2023. EPA

On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian military, another of the Houthis’ regional enemies, intercepted a cruise missile fired from Yemen towards Israel.

The Houthis had similarly launched a string of attack drones and long-range cruise missiles on October 19, which were shot down by American guided missile destroyer USS Carney operating in the northern Red Sea.

The Pentagon said at the time that it could not confirm where the missiles were headed.

Egypt has of late been making a show of its military strength in television segments on state-affiliated channels since the start of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7.

The segments are presumably an attempt by the government to appease an increasingly angry populace, many of whom are calling for a more pronounced military response from Egypt to help Gaza.

However, Cairo has ruled out any prospects of a military response to Israel’s siege on Gaza and has instead engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts to try to calm the situation.