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IDF attacks numerous terror targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire
[Ynet] The IDF responded with force to a barrage of at least 60 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli south on Wednesday, striking dozens of terror targets from the air and with artillery fire.Thirty-one Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets have been hit all across the Gaza Strip - two in an IDF artillery strike and 29 more in an Israel Air Force strike later on in the evening. Palestinian sources said IAF planes hit two Islamic Jihad bases, one of them in Rafah. Residents in the Beit Hanoun area of Gaza said they saw an Israeli artillery strike hit a rocket launcher squad. Voluntary BDA reporting is greatly appreciated. Palestinian sources said the IAF hit Islamic Jihad targets in Rafah, the Khan Yunis area, Deir al-Balah and in the Beit Lahia area, as well as a base of the Hamas' military wing. The sources said IAF jets keep returning to targets that have been attacked. So far, there were no reports of Palestinian casualties. Following the IAF strike, a power outage was reported in large parts of Rafah. "Israel will bear responsibility for the current escalation in Gaza. It continues its aggressiveness and the resistance will use its right to defend the Palestinian people," a Hamas spokesman said. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement via his spokesman urging an end to what he called "Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip." Earlier, Palestinian terrorists fired dozens of rockets at southern Israel. Failing once again to make the rather obvious cognitive link between Paleo rockets and IDF counter-battery fire. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the rocket fire, but a 57-year-old woman from Sderot was lightly injured while running to take cover. The Iron Dome missile-defense system intercepted at least three rockets over Sderot. This was the heaviest barrage of rockets fired from the Strip since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense. Perhaps it is now time for Pillar of Defense-II. The rockets were fired from both the north of the Strip and its south. Most of the rockets fell in open fields, at least eight fell inside southern communities. The Eshkol Regional Council reported on at least 15 rockets that fell in its area, including one that fell inside one of the towns but did not explode. Open fields and restricted areas by design, provide an effective buffer against direct/indirect fire, suicide bombers, and the like. Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-13 |
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