MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that they had struck a number of Hamas targets in retaliation against a rocket fired from northern Gaza.
“In response to the rocket fired at Israel from Gaza, IDF fighter jets and a helicopter targeted a number of terror targets within Hamas’s military camp in northern Gaza. We hold the Hamas terror organization accountable for all acts of terror emanating from the Gaza Strip”, IDF tweeted.
The military added that the rocket launch had been repelled by the Iron Dome air defence system.
The news comes after the IDF reported on 6 January that Israeli military helicopters had conducted airstrikes against two Hamas military positions in the Gaza Strip in response to an attempted attack with explosive balloons.
The strike was followed by another intensification of clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military forces on the Gaza border.
In mid-November, tensions in the area were at the highest point over the past four years as Palestinians fired some 460 rockets and mortar shells on the Israeli territory, prompting the IDF to respond with attacking 160 targets in Gaza.
Later on, the sides managed to agree to a cessation of hostilities. However, this prompted Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman to resign. The minister was outraged by the ceasefire and has instead called for a more decisive blow against the Hamas movement, de facto governing the enclave.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
