Israel hits targets in Gaza after mortar attack
No wounded reported as IAF aircraft strike Khan Younis in the central Strip; army blames Hamas
IAF aircraft struck targets in the Gaza Strip Tuesday evening, a response to a mortar attack on Israeli soldiers that originated from Gaza earlier in the day.
In a statement, the army said it had confirmed direct hits on a weapons-manufacturing site, two tunnels in the southern Strip and a “location used for terror activity in the northern Gaza Strip.”
“This morning IDF soldiers came under terrorist fire while engaging in a counter-terrorism activity,” said army spokesman Peter Lerner. “Attempts of attacking soldiers will not, by any means, be tolerated by the IDF.
“The IDF maintains the right to combat terrorists abusing the Gaza Strip as a springboard for such attacks against Israeli civilians and its forces,” he added.
There were no reports of injuries in either the mortar attack or the IAF’s retaliatory strike.
Israel and Gaza last week marked the one-year anniversary since Operation Pillar of Defense, an eight-day offensive launched by Israel to stem rocket fire from the Strip
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted a 98 percent drop in rocket fire since the operation.
“There is no doubt that significant deterrence has been achieved,” Netanyahu said, adding that there had only been 35 incidents of rocket fire since the operation ended.