Islamic Jihad terrorists fired some 40 rockets at Israel’s citizens in the south, eliciting a sharp response from the IDF.

By: United with Israel Staff

Israel’s citizens in the south experienced a terrifying weekend as Gaza-based Palestinians terrorists fired dozens of rockets at civilian targets, repeatedly setting off Red Code alerts that sent them running for cover.

The Iron Dome defense system intercepted 13 rockets. All of the other rockets fell in open spaces or inside Gaza. None of the rockets caused injuries or damage.

The IDF stated that Palestinian Islamic Jihad was behind the attacks and carried them out with Iran’s encouragement.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) responded by attacking some 88 terror targets throughout the Strip, including an Islamic Jihad cement factory, which was used to build cross-border terror tunnels, which was built right next to a school, “putting the children of Gaza at risk,” the IDF stated.

The IAF also struck an Islamic Jihad weapons manufacturing facility. “They use their weapons to try to kill innocent Israeli civilians, we use our weapons to destroy their weapons,” the IDF stated.

The IAF also hit Hamas’ new General Security Services headquarters in Gaza. The IDF warned the building’s occupants to evacuate several times prior to the strike.

A Hamas weapons storage depot was also bombed. “Hamas deliberately positioned it next to schools, a hospital and a mosque. For Hamas, nothing is sacred,” the IDF stated.

COGAT, the IDF unit that handles Palestinian civilian issues, said one of the rockets hit an ambulance crossing used to transfer Gazans out of the Strip in emergency humanitarian cases.

“To what low have the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip reached?” wrote COGAT commander, Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun, on his Arabic Facebook page.

Iran is Behind the Fire

“Terrorist Hamas bears responsibility for all attacks against Israel from Gaza. We have just responded against Palestinian Islamic Jihad military targets. Iranian guidance to PIJ [is] clear. We will continue to defend and are ready for all scenarios,” tweeted IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.

Conricus said Islamic Jihad had fired the rockets under instructions from Iran’s Al Quds Force based in Syria and said that Israel was considering taking action against the Iranians in response.

“We have seen and established a clear link between Gaza and Damascus,” he said. “We know that the orders, incentives were given from Damascus with the clear involvement of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force.”

“From our perspective, part of the address by which we will deal with this fire is also in Damascus and the Quds Force,” he added. “Our response is not limited geographically.”

The Islamic Jihad, which has close ties to Iran and Syria, said they agreed to Egyptian mediation efforts and halted the rocket fire, the heaviest to emanate from Gaza in months.

“The Egyptian efforts led to understandings to restore calm to Gaza Strip. We appreciate the Egyptian endeavor and hope for all kinds of (Israeli) aggression to stop,” said Khaled al-Batsh, an Islamic Jihad official.

The fighting in Gaza followed a violent day of border riots on Friday as Hamas-led rioters swarmed towards Israel’s border. Israeli forces responded with crowd dispersal means, and shot and killed five Palestinians rioters.

On the Brink of an Eruption

Egyptian mediators have been trying to prevent a full-blown conflict between Hamas and Israel for months.

The south saw a severe escalation last week when Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket towards the southern city of Beersheba, directly hitting and demolishing a home. There were no Israeli casualties in the incident.

While Israel had been working to ease tensions on the border and help ease a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, most recently allowing a massive shipment of fuel to enter Gaza for electricity on Wednesday, the government has warned that Hamas’ actions are leading the area towards a full-scale war.

Addressing the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday,  Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned that Israel has “exhausted all options” in an attempt to seek quiet in the area, and “only the most powerful blow [to] Hamas will help.”

Commenting on the prospects of a ceasefire with Hamas, Liberman stated that “when we talk about an arrangement, and I’m expressing my opinion here – I do not believe in any arrangement with Hamas. It does not work, it has not worked in the past, it will not work in the future.”

Israel has “reached a situation of no choice. Anything other than dealing the most severe blow – the heaviest we can – on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, will not help. We are truly in a situation of no choice,” Liberman asserted.

伊斯兰圣战组织的恐怖分子向以色列南部的公民发射了大约40枚火箭弹,引起了以色列国防军的强烈反响。

通过:与以色列工作人员联合

以色列在南方的公民经历了一个可怕的周末,因为加沙的巴勒斯坦恐怖分子向民用目标发射了数十枚火箭弹,一再引发红色警报警报,使他们逃跑。

铁穹防御系统截获了13枚火箭。所有其他火箭落在露天场所或加沙内部。没有火箭造成伤害或损坏。

以色列国防军表示,巴勒斯坦伊斯兰圣战组织是袭击事件的幕后主使,并在伊朗的鼓励下实施了这一袭击。

以色列空军(IAF)通过攻击整个加沙地带约88个恐怖目标作出回应,其中包括一座伊斯兰圣战水泥厂,该厂用于建造跨越恐怖隧道,该隧道紧挨着学校建造,“加沙处于危险之中,“以色列国防军说。

国际宇航联合会还袭击了一个伊斯兰圣战武器制造厂。以色列国防军说:“他们使用武器试图杀害无辜的以色列平民,我们用武器摧毁他们的武器。”

IAF还击中了哈马斯在加沙的新的通用安全服务总部。以色列国防军警告该建筑物的居住者在罢工前多次撤离。

哈马斯武器储存库也遭到轰炸。 “哈马斯故意把它放在学校,医院和清真寺旁边。对于哈马斯来说,没有什么是神圣的,“以色列国防军说。

处理巴勒斯坦平民问题的以色列国防军部队COGAT说,其中一枚火箭弹袭击了一辆救护车过境点,用于在紧急人道主义案件中将加沙人从加沙地带转移出去。

“加沙地带的恐怖主义组织达到了什么程度?”COGAT指挥官卡米尔·阿布·鲁昆少将在阿拉伯语Facebook页面上写道。

伊朗正处于火灾背后

“恐怖主义哈马斯对加沙对以色列的一切攻击负有责任。我们刚刚回应巴勒斯坦伊斯兰圣战组织的军事目标。伊朗对PIJ的指导是明确的。我们将继续为所有情况进行辩护并做好准备,“以色列国防军发言人中校Jonathan Conricus上校说。

Conricus说,伊斯兰圣战组织在叙利亚的伊朗圣城军队的指示下发射了火箭,并表示以色列正在考虑采取行动对付伊朗人。

“我们已经看到并建立了加沙与大马士革之间的明确联系,”他说。 “我们知道,在伊朗革命卫队Quds Force的明确介入下,大马库斯的命令和激励措施得以实现。”

“从我们的角度来看,我们将处理这起火灾的部分地址也在大马士革和Quds部队,”他补充说。 “我们的回应不受地域限制。”

与伊朗和叙利亚关系密切的伊斯兰圣战组织表示,他们同意埃及的调解努力,并停止火箭弹,这是几个月内从加沙发出的最重的火箭。

“埃及的努力导致了对恢复加沙地带平静的理解。我们赞赏埃及的努力和希望各种(以色列)的侵略停止,“伊斯兰圣战官员哈立德·巴什什说。

周五,由于哈马斯领导的骚乱者涌向以色列边境,加沙地带发生了暴乱的边境骚乱。以色列军队以人群驱散的方式作出回应,枪杀了五名巴勒斯坦暴徒。

在火山爆发的边缘

几个月来,埃及调解人一直试图阻止哈马斯与以色列之间爆发全面冲突。

上周,巴勒斯坦恐怖分子向南部城市贝尔谢巴发射火箭,直接撞击并拆毁房屋,南部出现严重升级。事件中没有以色列人员伤亡。

虽然以色列一直在努力缓解边界紧张局势,并帮助缓解加沙的人道主义危机,但最近允许大量燃料在周三进入加沙供电,政府警告说,哈马斯的行动正在引领该地区走向全面战争。

国防部长阿维格多·利伯曼星期一在以色列议会的外交和国防委员会发表讲话时警告称,以色列已经“竭尽全力”试图在该地区寻求安静,“只有哈马斯才能给予最有力的打击。”

在评论与哈马斯达成停火的前景时,利伯曼说:“当我们谈论一项安排时,我在此表达我的意见 – 我不相信与哈马斯的任何安排。它不起作用,它在过去没有用,它将来不会起作用。“

以色列“陷入了无可奈何的境地。在加沙地带的哈马斯,除了应对最严重的打击 – 我们最重的打击之外的任何事情 – 都无济于事。我们真的处于一个别无选择的境地,“利伯曼断言。