Aircraft belonging to the Israeli Air Force attacked overnight Monday four terror targets in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said in a statement that the aircraft scored direct hits and all planes returned safely to their bases.
The attack came in retaliation to the firing of two Grad missiles from the Gaza Strip on Monday evening.
The missiles exploded in an open area in the vicinity of Be’er Sheva. A siren was heard in the city and in other surrounding communities such as Lehavim, Meitar, and Omer. Local residents reported hearing two explosions. There were no reports of physical injuries or damage.
The IDF Spokesperson added that IDF forces identified a squad of terrorists as they were preparing to fire mortars into Israeli territory. The IAF managed to foil the attack, firing at the squad and directly hitting its members.
“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers and will continue to act firmly and strongly against anyone who uses terrorism against Israel,” the IDF statement said. “The Hamas terrorist organization is the body responsible for these attacks.”
Over the past several weeks, there has been a “cat-and-mouse game” in which terrorists fire rockets or missiles at Israeli territory (such as the Grad attack on Kiryat Gat two weeks ago), and the IDF responds by firing at terror targets in Gaza.
Medical sources in Gaza claimed that one person was killed and four others were wounded in Monday night's IDF attacks. The claims were made in a conversation with the Reuters news agency following the attacks.
