There are some interesting comments on Ynet about this sighting. One person wrote that he and his friends saw something similar three weeks ago, but it didn't make the news because it was 2am.

Another one commented that she saw something similar in description to this meteor, but she saw it at 21:00.

And obviously there were comments that it is not a meteor but Iran missile test, etc. There were people demanding proof that this was indeed a guest from space :)

Added: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:06 EDT

Cross Post to Cyprus sighting - ironic it's Israeli after all ... This email from my friend Rob Matson, of California, ace satellite calculator.

Doug

Hi again, Doug,

Some more information on the reentry. It was the 3rd stage of the Shavit rocket that launched Ofeq-7 from Palmachim Air Force Base on June 10th, 2007.

--Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: Matson, Robert D.
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 5:04 PM
To: 'mexicodoug;
Subject: RE: [meteorite-list] 5:15 UT slow, bright Mediterranean bolide

Hi Doug,

Please feel free to forward this to the Meteorite list for me (my posts from work don't seem to make it there).

I just did a quick check on this, suspecting it might be a satellite re-entry. Now before you jump the gun and tease me, "But Rob, it was travelling east-to- west!", let me add that it was actually ~because~ it was
travelling east to west AND passing over Israel that a lightbulb went off in my head. Israeli satellites are always launched in retrograde orbits, and I thought it would be an amusing case of karma if this turned out to be one of their own.

Well, in short, it was:

Shavit R/B, USSPACECOM #31602, launched some time in 2007.

I just plotted its trajectory as seen from Jerusalem, and bingo.

--Rob

Added: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:34 EDT

Added: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:56 EDT