Suspected incendiary balloon lands in West Bank settlement

A suspected incendiary balloon landed in a central West Bank settlement Sunday, prompting local residents to alert police, who dealt with the object.

Border Police were called to the Beit Horon settlement after a yellow balloon with Arabic writing on it attached to a small package was found in the community.

There was no damage caused in the incident, police said in a statement.

Officers who arrived at the scene kept onlookers away and then removed the item for further investigation.

The tactic of sending airborne incendiary devices into Israeli territory has been widely used by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the start of weekly border protests there in March.

During the demonstrations, protesters have launched hundreds of incendiary kites and balloons into Israel, sparking fires that have destroyed forests, burned crops and killed livestock. Over 7,000 acres of land have been burned, causing millions of shekels in damages, according to Israeli officials.

There have been a number of incidents in which West Bank Palestinians appear to have copied the tactic, sending devices into Israeli settlements.

Police called on the public to exercise extreme caution with regard to suspicious objects — balloons and kites — which could contain explosive or inflammatory materials.