Rocket sirens blared in the southern city of Ashkelon Sunday night after projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.
The Iron Dome missile defense system was set off and intercepted one of two projectiles launched. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
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Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts rocket fired from the Gaza Strip
(Photo: AFP)
The attack came shortly after the IDF announced it will close the Palestinian enclave's fishing zone "until further notice" due to renewed rocket fire and arson balloons launched from the Gaza Strip.
In response, Gaza militants threatened to escalate their attacks.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) — the IDF's liaison unit to the Palestinian territories — said that the decision was made over "the rocket fire and continued launching of arson balloons from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, constituting a violation of Israeli sovereignty."
Rocket fire from Gaza into Israel Sunday
"The Hamas terror organization bears the full responsibility for all daily occurrences within the Gaza Strip towards Israel, and will be held accountable for any violent actions against Israel's citizens."
Over 20 fires broke out near the Gaza Strip border on Sunday as Palestinian militants have flown dozens of balloon-borne incendiary devices into Israeli soil since morning hours amid days of cross-border tensions.
The airborne attacks come amid heightened tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank as Palestinians clashed with police and Jewish settlers for weeks. The fires were substantially exacerbated as Israel was hit by a searing heatwave.
Train traffic between Ashkelon and Netivot in southern Israel was disrupted due to a fire that broke out near the railway track but was gradually resumed around 4pm with the approval of the police and the fire brigade. Another suspicious device tied to a balloon was later spotted near the railway track outside Kibbutz Gevim near the city of Sderot.