Sirens sounded in Western Galilee communities near the Lebanon border and in western Negev communities close to the Gaza Strip on Monday afternoon, shortly after the Hamas terrorist group fired a rocket barrage at Jerusalem and surrounding areas.
No injuries were reported as multiple Iron Dome interceptions could be seen over Israel’s capital city.
Red alert alarms were also heard in Gush Etzion, Beersheva, Ofakim, Hatzerim and Netiv Ha’asara in the afternoon hours. A rocket hit in an open area near Bethlehem.
The Jerusalem rocket attacks occurred during Knesset faction meetings, in which opposition leader and Yesh Atid Party head Yair Lapid said that he would give his “full backing” to any government attempts to bring back the 239 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Lapid also called for Israel to assassinate Hamas leaders, specifically the six top military and political leaders “whether in Gaza or in other countries.
“The State of Israel must not stop and must not let go until we kill six people: [Hamas chief in Gaza] Yahya Sinwar, [Hamas ‘military’ commander] Mohammed Deif, [Hamas chairman] Ismail Haniyeh, [Hamas ‘military’ commander in Judea and Samaria] Saleh al-Arouri, [former Hamas chairman] Khaled Mashaal and [Hamas deputy ‘military’ commander] Marwan Issa,” Lapid said.
“All six have to die. Until they die, Israel will not have avenged the murdered of Be’eri and Sderot, Kfar Aza and Ofakim. Until they die, the Middle East will not understand that we are not messing around,” he added.
Yisrael Beytenu Party leader Avigdor Liberman on Monday called for stronger action against Hezbollah, disagreeing with security assessments that the Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon is engaging in limited skirmishes at the border in support of Hamas.
“We can’t wake up one day to a heavy salvo of missiles flying towards Haifa and Tel Aviv,” Liberman warned. “We can’t finish a war without tossing Hezbollah beyond the Litani [River in Southern Lebanon].”
The IDF reported on Monday afternoon that terrorists in Lebanon fired shots towards an army post at the border, with IDF units responding at the source with artillery fire. The IDF also struck Hezbollah “military” infrastructure in Lebanon.
During an earlier rocket salvo fired at the Ashdod and Ashkelon areas, a projectile struck a factory in an Ashkelon industrial zone, sparking a fire.
At least three rockets were fired at the western Negev city of Netivot on Monday morning, with one hitting an empty residential building and shrapnel falling in two other locations in the city. Video footage circulating on social media showed Iron Dome interceptions over the city and a destroyed apartment.
