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Rocket from Gaza heading for Ashkelon downed by Israeli air defenses

Israel’s Magen David Adom medical emergency response group said it received “no calls regarding either [rocket] impacts or injuries.”

A long-exposure shot shows the Iron Dome air-defense system intercepting missiles launched from Hamas in the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, on May 10, 2021. Photo by Edi Israel/Flash90.
A long-exposure shot shows the Iron Dome air-defense system intercepting missiles launched from Hamas in the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, on May 10, 2021. Photo by Edi Israel/Flash90.

The Israel Defense Forces intercepted a terrorist rocket launched from the northern Gaza Strip towards the coastal city of Ashkelon, it said on Wednesday night.

“Following the alerts that were activated in the Lachish area, the Air Force intercepted a launch that crossed from the northern Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory,” the military stated. “There are no casualties.”

Israel’s Magen David Adom medical emergency response group said it received “no calls regarding either [rocket] impacts or injuries.”

Air-raid sirens sent some of the Israeli city’s 150,000-plus residents, as well as civilians visiting its industrial zone, running to bomb shelters.

On Sunday, Palestinians also fired two projectiles toward the Jewish state from Gaza, not causing any casualties, the Israeli military said.

The aerial assault came shortly after the IDF announced it had launched more extensive ground operations as part of its “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” against Hamas terrorists in the coastal enclave.

On May 13, Israeli air defenses intercepted two projectiles fired from the Strip. A third rocket landed in an open area, the IDF said, adding that there were no casualties. The Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization took responsibility for the attack.

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