IDF hits back at Gaza after early morning rocket fire
Precision strike targets missile launchers, hours after Iron Dome intercepts rocket aimed at Ashkelon
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Israeli planes struck two concealed rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning, hours after two rockets targeted southern Israel.
The planes scored direct hits on both targets, the IDF said.
There was no immediate word on casualties in Gaza. Palestinians in Gaza reported that Israeli planes hit open areas.
The Israeli strikes came hours after two rockets were fired out of Gaza into Israel. Iron Dome anti-missile batteries successfully intercepted one rocket aimed at the beachside city of Ashkelon and destroyed it before it landed.
The second rocket fell in an open area.
There were no injuries or damage reported.
The IDF said it held Hamas, which controls the Strip, responsible for the attacks.
“This targeted strike, based on IDF intelligence and advanced air force capabilities, is an immediate response to the terrorist aggression and its infrastructure in Gaza,” spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said in a statement after the attack. “Hamas must take responsibility for these actions or pay the price for inaction. We will continue to safeguard the civilians of the State of Israel, and prevent future attempts of terrorism formulating in the Gaza Strip.”
The exchanges come after months of relative calm in the region following the November 2012 Operation Defensive Shield, which strove to end Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.
On Sunday, two mortars were fired out of Gaza, landing in an open area in the Eshkol region.
The rocket fire may be tied to the planned release of 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of ongoing peace talks. The prisoner release is scheduled for Tuesday.
