The Israeli army has placed an Iron Dome air defence system battery by the Red Sea resort of Eilat near the border with Egypt, a statement from the military said on Thursday.

"An Iron Dome Active Missile Defence System battery is currently deployed near Eilat as part of its operational deployment programne, which includes changing the locations of the batteries from time to time," the statement read.

The deployment comes amid tensions in that area. Israeli authorities said that on June 17 two rockets fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula exploded in southern Israel. On April 5 a rocket fired from Sinai hit Eilat, causing no casualties.

Unrest in and around the Gaza Strip also flared up last month after a deadly cross-border attack from Sinai which left one Israeli civilian dead.

An Israeli defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the deployment "was not for operational ends, rather for preparation and acquaintance with the territory and calibration."

The official said the system has been in place since Monday, and that it was the first time the Iron Dome system has been deployed near the southern resort.