IDF strikes Hamas targets in response to rocket fire
No group has claimed responsibility for rocket fire that triggered sirens in southern and central Israel
2 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel earlier tonight.In response, our forces just struck Hamas underground infrastructure & military posts in Gaza. The IDF is conducting an ongoing situational assessment & remains prepared to operate against any terror activity.— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 15, 2020
Residents in central Israel reported hearing large explosions and videos circulating on social media from residents of Holon, Bat Yam and Tel Aviv’s Yad Eliyahu neighborhood showed the rocket fire.
בהמשך לדיווחים זוהו שני שיגורים משטח רצועת עזה לשטח ישראל. שיגור אחד אשר לא הפעיל התרעה במרחב העיר אשדוד בהיעדר צורך ושיגור נוסף שבעקבותיו הופעלו התרעות בעיר אשדוד ובמרחב השפלה. לוחמי ההגנה האווירית שיגרו מיירטים לעבר המטרות בהתאם למדיניות— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 15, 2020
The rockets came in the wake of the first anniversary of the targeted killing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Bahaa Abu al-Ata.The IDF had deployed Iron Dome missile-defense batteries throughout the South over concerns that the group might fire rockets toward Israel.
The rockets might have been fired after rainwater caused a short circuit, the Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper reported. Another Hamas source said that the rocket fire could have been due to a malfunction caused by lightning, adding that there was no intention to escalate the violence.