Gaza rockets have resumed. Spent Palestinian rocket. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
Just one day after a rocket fired from Gaza shattered an almost month-long calm, a terrorist rocket hit an Israeli home in the southern city of Sderot—just one of a ten rocket barrage last Friday. In response, Israeli fighter jets bombed multiple Hamas sites, including naval compounds and weapon manufacturing and storage sites, according to the IDF Twitter Feed.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminded that his country views Hamas as the party in charge of Gaza and all that happens there. “It must be understood that as far as we’re concerned, Hamas is responsible for every attack originating from the territory of the Gaza Strip. We’ll continue to take action on all fronts for the security of the State of Israel, both openly & covertly, on land, sea, and in the air,” said Netanyahu in comments posted to the official Prime Minister Twitter feed.
Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Twitter that the rocket that hit the Sderot house caused no injuries. He separately tweeted a photo of a car that had been damaged in the rocket attacks as well. The IDF Twitter feed, after stating that Israel had hit a number of Hamas sites in response, noted, “Terror targets civilians. We target terror.”
The Gaza attacks could have been worse. The IDF tweeted that of the ten rockets fired at Israel, eight of them were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system. This included the interception of seven rockets in a row at one point.
The Gaza attacks come as Lebanon and Iraq—two nations influenced by Iran—are struggling with protests. Iran is also a major sponsor of Hamas terrorism, and Tehran may be hoping conflict between Israel and Gaza will distract from problems elsewhere.
Last Thursday, prior to the Friday’s assault of rockets, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted Iran’s dark influence and what that means for Israel.
“Threats lurk in every corner—in Syria, in Lebanon, in the Gaza Strip, as well as in Iraq, Yemen and directly in Iran. Where not? Iranian and pro-Iranian forces are relentlessly arming themselves,” said Netanyahu in comments released by his office. “We are prepared for the threats and will not hesitate to strike harshly at anyone who tries to attack us.”
While the US has sanctioned Iran and Israel has intervened militarily in some instances in Syria and elsewhere, that’s not enough of a global response, according to Netanyahu.
“Iran’s threshold of daring in the region is rising and it grows even more in the absence of a response,” said Netanyahu. “However, Israel will not turn the other cheek. Whoever is bent on aggression—will meet with a vigorous response, and will pay a heavy price.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 3, 2019)