The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that a missile was fired at an Israeli combat helicopter over Gaza City. The launch failed to hit its target, there were no injuries, and the helicopter continued its mission assisting ground troops.
According to the IDF, the projectile was likely a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile still in the hands of terror groups. No such weapon has ever successfully hit a manned Israeli aircraft.
Hamas tries to shoot down an Israeli combat helicopter
Arab media outlets published footage of the launch, reporting that “the resistance” had tried to bring down the helicopter. The video shows a smoke trail passing near the helicopter, which immediately released flares.
Shortly after the IDF announcement, rocket sirens sounded in Kibbutz Erez, a community near the Gaza border, but the alert was later confirmed as a false alarm.
Earlier Thursday, the IDF spokesman said that troops from the Etzioni Brigade Combat Team had been operating in Rafah in southern Gaza in recent weeks. The forces killed dozens of militants and destroyed numerous terror tunnels and other infrastructure. Following the operation in Rafah, the troops immediately moved on to Khan Younis, another Hamas stronghold, where they struck surveillance assets and additional targets, killing more militants.
“The Etzioni Brigade Combat Team now controls the southern Khan Younis sector in order to preserve the operational gains of the IDF and deepen control along the Magen Oz corridor,” the IDF said, referring to a strategic route in the southern Gaza Strip. “Southern Command forces will continue operating in Gaza to neutralize terror threats and defend Israeli civilians.”
The IDF also reported that the Israeli Air Force had struck more than 170 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours. “Southern Command forces, directed by Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet security service, continue fighting terror groups across Gaza,” the statement read.
The army said Division 162 is engaged in combat deep inside Gaza City, while the 215th Artillery Brigade has destroyed terror sites used to stage ambushes. In parallel, air assets struck 20 additional targets in Gaza City, including terrorists and a weapons storage facility.
Soldiers also spotted a terrorist attempting to plant an explosive device for an imminent attack. A drone was directed to the area and eliminated him. Division 36 is continuing operations in Gaza City to clear territory and destroy above- and below-ground terror infrastructure.