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Burst pipe pours 200 tons of crude oil into Red Sea near Israel’s south coast

An oil spill originating from a burst pipe in Jordan that flowed into the Gulf of Aqaba, just south of Eilat, is not threatening Israel’s beaches, Israeli authorities said Wednesday.

Some 200 tons of crude oil spilled from a burst pipe at a Jordanian gasoline terminal into the Red Sea on Tuesday.

Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry said it does not believe that the oil spill will reach Israel’s shores because of the direction of the winds, and has been pushed off southward towards Jordan and Saudi Arabia instead.

However, they warned that the spill could cause long term ecological damage to the Gulf of Eilat.

Israel has called for swift action to prevent such damage, and has offered to assist Jordan in any way needed.

Israeli authorities are on alert in anticipation of a change in the winds and circumstances.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News