Rocket hits TA; Attacks on south persist
Air raid siren heard in central Israel, followed by sound of blast; rocket hits open area. Three soldiers hurt by mortar shell in Eshkol. Rockets hit Beersheba, Ashkelon
An air raid siren sounded in Tel Aviv early on Friday afternoon, followed by the sound of a blast. A rocket, fired from Gaza, exploded in an open area. No injuries or damage were immediately reported.
The police are looking for the site of the blast, and are looking into the possibility that another projectile was launched towards the city.
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Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon said Thursday that Palestinian terror groups do not have many missiles that can reach Tel Aviv.
Running for cover in Tel Aviv (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
"I don't know if they still have one or two missiles left, they don't have a stockpile that can threaten central Israel," he said.
Shortly before the rocket was launched, Hamas released a statement that it had "a surprise" in store for Israel. The group later accepted responsibility for the attack. The Tel Aviv Municipality said that all the city's shelters were open for public use.
A short while earlier, a soldier was moderately wounded by a mortar shell that hit the Eshkol Regional Council. Two other soldiers were lightly hurt and were taken to the Soroka Medical Center for treatment.
Earlier Friday, around 12:50 pm, sirens went off in Beersheba, Kiyat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, and Ofakim, as well as the Eshkol and Bnei Shimon regional councils. One rocket exploded near a residential house in Beersheba, while another hit a parking lot in Ashkelon.
Siren in Ashkelon (Photo: Avi Roccah)
A house in Be'er Tuvia earlier was damaged by a fragment of an Iron Dome missile that intercepted a rocket fired towards the region. The shrapnel penetrated the house's ceiling. No injuries were reported.
The rocket fire persisted even while Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil was visiting Gaza in show of solidarity for the Palestinians and Hamas.
A rocket was fired towards Kiryat Malachi and was intercepted during the funeral of Itzik Amsalem, 27, who was killed in a rocket attack the previous day.
Around noon, the Iron Dome intercepted two rockets that were fired towards Sderot. A short while later, four rockets exploded in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council.
According to the IDF, 510 rockets were have been fired on Israel since Operation Pillar of Defense began Wednesday, and only 26 of them exploded in southern urban areas. The Iron Dome intercepted more than 160 rockets.
Neri Brenner contributed to the report
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