Who Shot Rockets Near Eilat, Israel? A Mystery Amid Erupting Tensions

There’s a mystery around the rockets that hit near Eilat, Israel this week (they actually landed on Jordanian soil, killing one person). Israeli officials say they came from Egypt, specifically the Sinai. But whoever fired them remains unknown.

It's widely believed, but not yet confirmed, that Al Qaeda-affiliated groups in the Sinai desert fired the shots. It's a tough time for Israel to worry about rocket fire on its southern border – already bombarded by Hamas (and striking back) and staring down Hezbollah’s weapons along its northern border with Lebanon.

One reason why analysts and public chatter predict a late-summer war is that all sides are tense and armed to the teeth.

On Tuesday a border skirmish erupted between the IDF and the Lebanese Armed Forces, killing at least three people. By mid-afternoon a UN high-level source told ABC News the fighting continued and that the situation was ‘deteriorating.’

For more insight here's a TIME Magazine item from a few years back looking at whether Al Qaeda is in the Sinai and the Council on Foreign Relations page on Hezbollah.