Iron Dome intercepts rocket in barrage over southern Israel – Israel News, Ynetnews
Iron Dome intercepts rocket in barrage over southern Israel – Israel News, Ynetnews.
Three rockets fired towards Ofakim, Iron Dome intercepts one. In Eshkol, soldier lightly wounded by mortar shell shrapnel, following violent night of clashes in Triangle area that saw Jewish drivers in vehicles attacked.
Raanan Ben-Zur
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A barrage of rockets and mortar shells were fired on Saturday afternoon towards western Negev communities. Two rockets and a mortar shell exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council and one IDF soldier sustained light injuries from shrapnel. The soldier was evacuated to the hospital for further treatment
A Color Red rocket alert sounded in Ofakim and the Merhavim Regional Council in south Israel, and shortly after a volley of rockets was fired towards Ofakim, a city relatively distant from the Gaza Strip.
The Iron Dome anti-missile defense system shot down one of the incoming rockets, and the other two exploded in open areas. Half an hour later, a Color Red Rocket was sounded in Eshkol and Hof Ashkelon Regional Councils.
However, the IDF or air force has yet to respond to the rocket fire and refrained from attacking the Gaza Strip during the night.
In the last 36 hours, the only attack carried out by the Israeli Air Force took place at 8pm on Friday, when the IDF Spokesperson Lt. Colonel Peter Lerner confirmed that 3 targets had been struck in the south of the Gaza Strip, in response to over 20 rockets fired on Israel from Gaza on Friday.
Following the attack, southern council leaders warned residents to stay within 15 seconds from bomb shelters. The instruction was withdrawn in the morning.
The IDF has increased over the past 24 hours the amount of interceptor missiles of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system in the Gaza envelope, and made changes to their geographical layout due to concern that the rocket fire would continue throughout the weekend.
Towards midnight Friday, after violent clashes broke out in neighborhoods in northern and eastern Jerusalem as Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir was laid to rest, riots spread to Arab communities in the Triangle area.
The riots centered in Qalansawe, an Arab town in central Israel, where protestors damaged and set alight cars. The clashes erupted when masked protestors who were standing on the road began asking passing drivers whether they were Jewish or Arab. Jewish drivers who answered in Hebrew were forced out of their vehicles and attacked by the protestors.
One of the injured is a 20-year-old motorcycle rider who was attacked by protestors while travelling on Saturday morning on a road that crosses Qalansawe.
Yarkon Area Magen David Adom team evacuated the man, who sustained light injuries, to the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba.
In Wadi Ara, protestors threw stones at vehicles travelling on main roads. 12 people were detained following the clashes.
Earlier Saturday morning, Molotov cocktails were thrown towards the community of Mei Ami, located near Wadi Ara. Police forces were dispatched to the area and have launched an investigation into the incident. No injuries were reported.
Large police forces have been deployed to main roads in the area of Wadi Ara and are prepared for disruptions.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that rioters in Qalansawe deserve a “deterrent, unequivocal punishment.” In a Facebook post, the minister wrote: “The police acted correctly in immediately arrested the Arabs that rioted near Qalansawe and the Triangle.
“Now we expect that the Court system will also use an iron fist in their treatment of the issue and impose punishments that will convey a deterrent, unequivocal punishment to those who enjoy an Israeli citizenship and act as terrorists.
These events demonstrate once again that these people do not belong in the State of Israel – and until that is resolved, their place is in jail.”
Meretz Chairwoman Zehava Gal-On responded to Lieberman’s statement, saying “It’s a shame that the Foreign Minister continues to kindle a fire of hate between Jewish and Arab citizens and in that give impetus to racism and nationalism.
“Arab citizens in Israel have a right to demonstrate in their homeland, and that does not depend on the whims of Minister Lieberman. It is no secret that Lieberman has been attempting, for a while, to change the status of the Arab citizens of Israel, revoke their citizenship and transfer them, and he latches on to every opportunity to carry out his proposals.”
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