TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has launched a command to protect the
south.

The military’s Southern Command introduced a territorial brigade
assigned to the port city of Eilat. The brigade would be assigned to the
Edom unit, responsible for the defense of 30 percent of Israel.

“This brigade would focus on the terrrorist threat from Sinai,” an
official said.

The brigade has appointed Col. Roi Beeri as its commander. Officials
said the the brigade would oversee the construction of the security fence
along the 15 kilometers of the mountains of Eilat, expected to be completed
by late 2013.

The military has intensified efforts to improve security against attacks
from the Sinai Peninsula. Officials said the military was confronting Al
Qaida-aligned militias as well as the expansion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad
from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.

Officials said the military was also studying the feasibility of
constructing a security fence along the southern border with Jordan. They
said the barrier would seek to prevent the flow of insurgents from the
Hashemite kingdom.

  Al Qaida, Col. Roi Beeri, Eilat, Israel’s military launches southern command to defend against Sinai threat