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Israeli fighter jets struck a military compound and rocket launching site of Palestinian Islamic Hamas Movement that controls Gaza Strip
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that the air force carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip which came in response to continued launches of arson balloons from the coastal enclave into the Jewish state.
The Israeli fighter jets struck a military compound and rocket launching site of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas Movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, Xinhua news agency quoted the IDF as saying.
“The rocket launching site was in a civilian area, once again emphasizing how Hamas endangers Palestinian civilians,” the IDF said, vowing to continue to respond as necessary to Hamas activities emanating from Gaza. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that the incendiary balloons caused four forest fires in the country’s area close to the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Friday, the IDF said it had fired artillery shells at targets in southern Lebanon in response to Beirut’s firing of more than 10 rockets into Israeli territory.
Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s anti-rocket Iron Dome defence system, and the rest landed in open areas.
The rockets, fired at the Israel-occupied Golan Heights and the Galilee Panhandle area in northern Israel, did not cause casualties.
Israel threatens Iran with military action
Tel Aviv: Following a drone strike on an oil tanker, Israel has issued a threat to Iran, blaming Tehran for the sea attack. Israel’s defense minister warned that his country is prepared to strike Iran.
Benny Gantz’s comments were made even as Israel lobbies countries for action at the United Nations over last week’s attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street that killed two people. An Israeli billionaire owns the firm that manages the tanker that was struck off Oman in the Arabian Sea.
The US and the United Kingdom also blamed Iran for the attack, but no country has offered evidence or intelligence to support the claim. Iran, which along with its regional militia allies has launched similar drone attacks, has denied being involved.
Talking to news website Ynet, Gantz said, “We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran. The world needs to take action against Iran now.”
From Tehran, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh described Gantz’s threat as “another brazen violation of Int’l law” and “malign behaviour” that allegedly stems from Israel’s blind support for the West.
