Southern leader urges IDF response to Gaza rocket

Hours after the IDF detected a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip, a rare incident since Operation Protective Edge concluded two months ago, the head of the Eshkol Regional Council, Haim Yellin, demanded Saturday that the military respond forcefully in order to eliminate any further threats from the Palestinian enclave.

“We do not care who fired, Hamas or rogue organizations. We demand a military response to rocket attacks on Israeli citizens,” said Yellin, according to Channel 10 News.

“The military achievements of Operation Protective Edge are disappearing, and there is no political strategy to ensure a real quiet for the residents of the south and of the state of Israel.”

Military officials initially said the rocket, fired late Friday, apparently fell inside Gaza territory and thus did not trigger warning sirens in the surrounding Israeli communities. However, the IDF later contended that the rocket had actually fallen within Eshkol Regional Council territory, Israel Radio reported. The rocket’s remains have not yet been found.

“The hourglass has already been turned ahead of the next war,” Yellin said. “Today it is Eshkol, tomorrow Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and so the military and political response must be in accordance [with the threat].”

There was no word on who was responsible for the launch.

Last week, rocket sirens rang out in several communities on the Gaza border, in what the army later said was a false alarm. The IDF said the alarms did not indicate a rocket attack, but did not say why they were triggered.

There have also been two cases of sporadic rocket fire out of the Strip since the summer conflict.

Last Saturday, senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar criticized Israel for allegedly delaying the entry of construction materials into Gaza and warned that if the rehabilitation process in the Palestinian enclave does not speed up and become more efficient, the situation in the Strip may “erupt.”

Itamar Sharon contributed to this report.