North Beach in Eilat. Photo: wiki commons.

JNS.org – Two powerful explosions echoed through the Red Sea resort town of Eilat on Thursday night, shortly before 10 p.m. A Color Red alert did not sound beforehand. Several city residents dialed the police emergency hotline and reported the blasts.

The Israel Defense Forces and police dispatched personnel to locate the blast site and any possible projectiles, but have not reported any findings.

The blasts came as fighting between the Egyptian army and armed groups intensified in northern Sinai, near the city of el-Arish and Egypt’s border with Rafah, in the Gaza Strip.

“I was on my way the Chicago Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel,” recounted one Eilat resident. “Just as I was approaching the entrance to the restaurant I heard one big boom and then another one. I was very scared, but I saw that it wasn’t fazing anyone else so maybe it was just me, though it’s possible people didn’t hear [the blast] because of the music.”