The IDF remained on high alert for additional rocket attacks from Gaza on Monday, hours after Islamic Jihad shattered a relatively lengthy period of calm by firing five rockets into southern Israel. Two rockets heading towards Ashkelon were intercepted by an Iron Dome air defense battery. Additional rockets, including some fired in the direction of Beersheba, exploded in uninhabited areas and failed to cause injuries or damages. The projectiles set off air raid sirens across regions in southern Israel, startling local residents who had grown accustomed to the quiet. Responding to the strikes, the Israel Air Force bombed two weapons storage facilities in central Gaza, as well as an underground rocket launching pad and a fourth target in the southern part of the Strip. The IDF views the attacks out of Gaza as an attempt by Islamic Jihad to challenge Hamas’s sovereignty there, but does not believe Hamas has lost its grip on the territory. Read complete article
