Missile Strikes Egypt’s Taba Resort Town Near Israel Border
Local media reported a second incident took place in the Red Sea town of Nuweiba after six were wounded in Taba.
At least six people have been wounded after a missile struck the Egyptian resort town of Taba near the Israeli border, according to reports from local media.
A witness in Taba confirmed hearing an explosion and seeing smoke rising, Reuters reported, but the news agency was not immediately able to identify the blast’s source.
The missile on Friday morning hit an ambulance facility and a residential building for the administration of the Taba hospital, Egypt’s Al Qahera News said, citing local sources.
The incident is believed to be linked to the continuing Israel-Hamas war that has been raging in Gaza since October 7, when Hamas fighters launched an attack on Israel, killing at least 1,405 people. Israeli air strikes on Gaza have since killed at least 7,028 Palestinians.
On Friday, the Red Sea resort town of Nuweiba on the Sinai Peninsula was also hit by a rocket, Reuters reported.
Al Qahera said an “unidentified body” fell near an electricity plant in Nuweiba, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. Investigations into the incident were under way, the network cited its sources saying.
Nuweiba is 72km (44 miles) from Taba, which is about 220km (135 miles) from the Gaza Strip. Taba straddles Egypt’s border with Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat.
After the missile strike, Israel’s military said it was aware of a security incident outside its borders.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, said on Wednesday it had targeted Eilat with a missile, which the Israeli military said hit an outlying area. That incident appeared to be the longest-range Palestinian attack of the Gaza war.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility after Friday morning’s blast. Al Qahera reported that an investigation has been launched.
The Taba explosion highlights the risks facing Egypt and other countries in the region as fighting intensifies between Israel and Hamas.
Taba, in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, is popular with tourists. It is about a three-hour drive from Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Egypt has taken an active role in negotiating access to aid for Palestinians, trying to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and advocating for a ceasefire. But its proximity to the front line has exposed it to risks.
On October 22, several Egyptian border guards were injured after being accidentally hit by fragments of a shell from an Israeli tank. Israel apologised for the incident.
Other regional countries, including Lebanon and Syria, have also been peripherally caught up in the fighting.
Iran backs both Hamas and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which Israel has clashed with in skirmishes along the Israel-Lebanon border.
On Thursday, the United States said it had attacked two Iran-linked facilities in Syria, following a series of attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.
Last week, the US military said a Navy warship in the northern Red Sea intercepted projectiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi armed group potentially towards Israel.
