The Israel Defense Forces on Monday night downed three terror rockets heading for Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, the military confirmed.
“Following alerts activated in the Gaza Envelope [border] area at 7:02 p.m., the Air Force successfully intercepted two launches that crossed into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement.
Gaza’s Iranian-supported Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the rocket launches.
Air-raid sirens were activated in the Gaza border communities of Netiv Ha’asara, Zikim, Karmia, Nir Am, Sderot and Avivim, according to the Israeli military’s official Home Front Command application.
Some two hours later, additional sirens sounded, with the military confirming the launch of a third rocket toward southern Israel. The projectile was successfully shot down by the Air Force, the IDF said.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency response group said it did not receive any calls about injuries in the rocket assaults, except for panic attacks and people who were wounded on the way to a bomb shelter.
On Thursday, sirens pealed in central Israel, including for the first time in months in Tel Aviv, after Hamas launched three rockets from Gaza.
The rocket assault marked the first time Hamas targeted Tel Aviv since Oct. 7, 2024, which marked the first anniversary of the terrorist group’s cross-border massacre in the Jewish state’s southern border villages.
Early on March 18, the IDF launched renewed “extensive” strikes on Hamas terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip. The revived Israeli military campaign has been officially named “Operation Strength and Sword.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the military was acting after Hamas terrorists rebuffed several proposals by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
Netanyahu said last week that Hamas has “already felt our strength” since the military returned to fighting, adding that future ceasefire negotiations with the terror group “will only take place under fire.”