Israel vows revenge after rocket strike

Israel’s prime minister has claimed that Egypt’s Sinai desert is becoming a “terror zone” and vowed to strike at militants there after a rocket fired from the area hit a southern Israeli resort town.

A rocket attack yesterday, the first on Eilat in nearly two years, raised new Israeli concerns about militant activity in Sinai, particularly since the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s regime last year. Israeli security officials have repeatedly warned of a power vacuum in Egypt and say that Islamic militants, including al-Qaeda, have stepped up their activity in Sinai and are now active on Israel’s doorstep.

“We are seeing now with Eilat that the Sinai Peninsula is turning into a terror zone,” prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We will strike at those who attack us. There can be no immunity for terrorism; it must be fought and we are doing so.”