Israel strikes Gaza after attack near PM’S rally
JERUSALEM: Israel carried out air strikes against the Gaza Strip overnight in response to a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave, the army said Thursday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at campaign event in Ashkelon north of Gaza on Wednesday evening when what the army called a “projectile” was fired from the strip, setting off warning sirens.
The army said, the “projectile was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory and was intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system”. In response, it said, “Planes and helicopters hit several Hamas terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip. Military posts were among the targets.” No injuries were reported on either side, though a security source in Gaza said damage was reported at a number of Hamas sites.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN 11 showed images of a security guard informing Netanyahu, who is campaigning for re-election as head of his Likud party, of a “red alert” late on Wednesday.
The PM waved goodbye before being hustled from the room with his wife Sarah.
On September 10, the head of the Likud party was evacuated from a rally, in the southern city of Ashdod, after sirens warned of an attack from Gaza.
On Thursday, the embattled premier was facing off against longtime rival Gideon Saar in a Likud leadership contest that could threaten his grip on power.
Likud was holding primaries in the first serious internal challenge to Netanyahu in his more than a decade in power.
Veteran politician Gideon Saar hopes to unseat Netanyahu, arguing that he will be better placed to form a government in national elections in March after Netanyahu failed to do so in two repeat elections this year.