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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Eilat airport: Israeli military orders shutdown | Eilat airport: Israeli military orders shutdown |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Eilat airport in southern Israel was briefly shut on Thursday after the military ordered the closure of surrounding airspace. | |
| "Security assessments" based on "intelligence and other regional developments" had prompted the move, the military said. | |
| The airport re-opened after a closure of two hours. | |
| Eilat has been targeted in the past by rockets fired by Islamist militants in the neighbouring Sinai peninsula. | Eilat has been targeted in the past by rockets fired by Islamist militants in the neighbouring Sinai peninsula. |
| Sinai has become increasingly lawless amid the instability generated by the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in early July. | Sinai has become increasingly lawless amid the instability generated by the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in early July. |
| However, there was no suggestion that this closure is the result of an immediate threat to attack the airport. | |
| Eilat airport is a major Red Sea tourist destination. | Eilat airport is a major Red Sea tourist destination. |
| Target | Target |
| "The airport is open after a new situation report," a spokeswoman told the French news agency AFP. | |
| She gave no further details. | |
| Earlier, the Israel Aviation Authority said eight flights scheduled to land in Eilat would be diverted to another airport, Uvda, some 60km (36 miles) away, Reuters news agency said. | |
| Eilat sits on the border with Sinai and is an obvious target for militants organising there, reports the BBC's Middle East correspondent Kevin Connolly. | Eilat sits on the border with Sinai and is an obvious target for militants organising there, reports the BBC's Middle East correspondent Kevin Connolly. |
| Rocket fire prompted the closure of Eilat airport most recently in April. In July, remnants from a rocket fired from Sinai were found in the hills north of the city. | Rocket fire prompted the closure of Eilat airport most recently in April. In July, remnants from a rocket fired from Sinai were found in the hills north of the city. |
| The Israeli government is completing a fence that runs the entire length of the border, has stepped up military patrols and has in the past deployed batteries of its Iron Dome anti-missile system in the area, our correspondent says. | The Israeli government is completing a fence that runs the entire length of the border, has stepped up military patrols and has in the past deployed batteries of its Iron Dome anti-missile system in the area, our correspondent says. |