IDF Strikes Targets in Gaza in Response to Rocket Attack
After a rocket from Gaza hit central Israel Monday, the IDF launched an offensive against Hamas targets in the Strip. More than 60 rockets were fired at Israel’s south overnight Tuesday
IsraelDefense
| 26/03/2019
An explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City (Photo: AP)
The IDF attacked dozens of terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip Monday evening through early Tuesday following a rocket attack that destroyed a home in central Israel earlier on Monday. Throughout the night, Gaza terror groups fired over 60 rockets into southern Israel.
IDF fighter jets, combat helicopters, tanks, and naval vessels participated in the strikes. Among the targets were Hamas military posts, a military compound belonging to Hamas in Dir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, as well as a military compound belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Beit Lahiya, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.
"The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for all the goings on in and out of the Gaza Strip. The IDF is determined to carry out the task of protecting the citizens of Israel, and is prepared for various scenarios and intensifying its operations as necessary," the IDF said.
In preparation for the strikes in Gaza, the IDF has also called up two additional brigades to the Gaza region, as well as 1,000 reservists. Additional Iron Dome batteries were deployed throughout the country.
Incoming rocket sirens blasted throughout communities in Sderot and the regional councils of Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon, and Shaar HaNegev, as at least 30 rockets were fired towards Israel between 10 p.m. and 3.15 a.m. after Hamas said it had accepted an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that would have begun at 10 p.m.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told Israeli army radio on Tuesday morning that “rumors of a ceasefire are incorrect” and that Israel "will continue to exact a very heavy price from Hamas for its attacks on Israeli citizens.”
The military said the some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system while most of the rest fell in open areas.
The latest escalation began Monday morning when a long-range J80 missile that was launched from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip struck a civilian home some 120 km. away in the central Israeli community of Mishmeret, injuring seven members of one family and a neighbor.
Israel began its retaliatory strikes at around 5:20 p.m., striking Hamas targets in Shati, Beit Hanoun, Saja'iya and other locations throughout the Gaza Strip, hitting targets which included military compounds, tunnel shafts that were used to transport weapons, military positions and rocket launching positions.
Another target struck by Israeli jets was the offices of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Rimal neighborhood of the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a building that served as an office for military meetings and as the headquarters of Hamas’s internal security forces.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit stated that another target was a three-story building that served as a “secret headquarters” of Hamas, where militants belonging to the security and intelligence divisions of the organization were located.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut his visit to Washington short and flew back to Israel after a meeting with US President Donald Trump. He recently landed in Israel and is expected to convene a cabinet meeting immediately at the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv.
[Sources: The Jerusalem Post, Breaking Israel News]
After a rocket from Gaza hit central Israel Monday, the IDF launched an offensive against Hamas targets in the Strip. More than 60 rockets were fired at Israel’s south overnight Tuesday
An explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City (Photo: AP)
The IDF attacked dozens of terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip Monday evening through early Tuesday following a rocket attack that destroyed a home in central Israel earlier on Monday. Throughout the night, Gaza terror groups fired over 60 rockets into southern Israel.
IDF fighter jets, combat helicopters, tanks, and naval vessels participated in the strikes. Among the targets were Hamas military posts, a military compound belonging to Hamas in Dir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, as well as a military compound belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Beit Lahiya, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.
"The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for all the goings on in and out of the Gaza Strip. The IDF is determined to carry out the task of protecting the citizens of Israel, and is prepared for various scenarios and intensifying its operations as necessary," the IDF said.
In preparation for the strikes in Gaza, the IDF has also called up two additional brigades to the Gaza region, as well as 1,000 reservists. Additional Iron Dome batteries were deployed throughout the country.
Incoming rocket sirens blasted throughout communities in Sderot and the regional councils of Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon, and Shaar HaNegev, as at least 30 rockets were fired towards Israel between 10 p.m. and 3.15 a.m. after Hamas said it had accepted an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that would have begun at 10 p.m.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told Israeli army radio on Tuesday morning that “rumors of a ceasefire are incorrect” and that Israel "will continue to exact a very heavy price from Hamas for its attacks on Israeli citizens.”
The military said the some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system while most of the rest fell in open areas.
The latest escalation began Monday morning when a long-range J80 missile that was launched from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip struck a civilian home some 120 km. away in the central Israeli community of Mishmeret, injuring seven members of one family and a neighbor.
Israel began its retaliatory strikes at around 5:20 p.m., striking Hamas targets in Shati, Beit Hanoun, Saja'iya and other locations throughout the Gaza Strip, hitting targets which included military compounds, tunnel shafts that were used to transport weapons, military positions and rocket launching positions.
Another target struck by Israeli jets was the offices of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Rimal neighborhood of the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a building that served as an office for military meetings and as the headquarters of Hamas’s internal security forces.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit stated that another target was a three-story building that served as a “secret headquarters” of Hamas, where militants belonging to the security and intelligence divisions of the organization were located.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut his visit to Washington short and flew back to Israel after a meeting with US President Donald Trump. He recently landed in Israel and is expected to convene a cabinet meeting immediately at the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv.
[Sources: The Jerusalem Post, Breaking Israel News]
