Suspected incendiary balloons found near southern border community

A suspicious bunch of balloons was discovered in the south of Israel, says a local government spokesperson.

“A short time ago, a suspicious bunch of balloons was discovered in an open area,” says a spokesperson for the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. “Military forces immediately came to the scene and handled the situation successfully.”

There is no immediate comment from police or the Israeli Defense Forces on the matter.

In recent days, terror groups in the Gaza Strip have flown numerous bombs and incendiary devices into Israeli territory from the enclave with the aid of helium-filled balloons, at times prompting retaliatory strikes from the IDF, according to Palestinian reports.

אין גישה למושב נתיב העשרה.
הכניסה נחסם בעקבות צרור בלוני נפץ שנחת במקום.
חבלני משטרה כבר בשטח

קרדיט צילומים חמ'ל הדרום pic.twitter.com/AjONmTSHBc

— דבורה????????????????????????️ (@devorah555) January 23, 2020

The tactic of launching balloons carrying explosive and arson devices from Gaza into Israel emerged in 2018 as part of a series of protests and riots along the Strip’s border, known collectively as the March of Return. The simple and cheap method of attack by Palestinians has proved effective as Israeli security forces have struggled to counter the tactic, but it had largely stopped over half a year ago.