Technical glitch sets off red alert sirens

Alarms heard throughout southern Israel; no reports of any incoming rockets

By Yoel Goldman 2 February 2013, 9:29 am

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The southern Israeli city of Sderot (Moshe Shai/Flash90/File)

Residents in southern Israel were woken suddenly overnight Friday when red alert warning sirens wailed for the first time since Operation Pillar of Defense in November.

What set off the incoming attack alarms? Apparently it was a technical glitch, according to Israel Radio.

Affected areas included the cities of Ashkelon, Sderot, and the surrounding communities. The sirens were also heard as far north as Gedera.

There were no reports of incoming fire.

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Southern Israel withstood relentless rocket attacks for several years leading up to and during the 8-day Israeli offensive against Gaza terrorists late last year.

During Operation Pillar of Defense, some 1,500 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Israel responded with a similar number of targeted airstrikes.

Since November, there have been no rockets attacks emanating from the Strip. Conflict on the Israeli-Gazan border has been limited to sporadic skirmishes between Palestinian protesters and the IDF.

In January, Gaza officials claimed that Israeli soldiers had killed three people near the border and injured more than 40 since a ceasefire took hold on November 21.