Rocket alerts sounded off in Kissufim, Ein Hashlosha and Nirim in the Gaza border area of southern Israel on Thursday evening. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed the details and said that they are under investigation.
One launch was detected from the territory of the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory. According to the IDF spokesperson’s unit, the Iron Dome was activated and it intercepted the rocket.
About 30 minutes later the IDF detected three more rocket launches from the northern Gaza strip, the rockets likely failed and fell in an open field inside the strip, no sirens were activated, according to the IDF spokesperson unit.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket launches and claimed that it was “a response to the assassination of the commander of the Al-Quds Brigades in Jenin,” according to Ynet.
This is the first time that rocket alerts were activated in Israel since the end of Operation Breaking Dawn on August 7.
Timing of the attacks coincides with election
The attacks came two days after Israelis voted in a legislative election that left former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party with a decisive majority in the Knesset and the left-wing Meretz party with no seats.
