IDF says if it escalates response to Gaza kite arson, it could cause war

An army spokesman tells Israeli residents near the Gaza border that if the IDF responds more harshly to the incendiary kites and balloons being sent into Israel, it would lead to war, Hebrew media report Sunday.

The spokesman is addressing residents of the towns adjacent to the coastal enclave, who were losing patience with daily arson attacks, which have led to the loss of thousands of acres of farmland, forests and parks, and caused millions of shekels in damage. He explains the IDF’s latest policy of firing warning shots at groups launching the flaming kites and balloons.

“The alternative to kite terror is war,” he says. “If we respond too strongly it could lead to escalation. You would be in your bomb shelters and you don’t want that, especially when the construction of the barrier against the tunnels has not yet been completed.”

The admission that Israel does not want an escalation with Gaza comes soon after the Israeli Air Force attacks targets connected to a group of Palestinians who launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel earlier today, in the third round of airstrikes of the day, according to the army.