IDF hits back hard after Sderot rocket strike

ISRAELI JETS AND artillery hit several military installations in Gaza on Sunday night after a missile was fired into the Israeli town of Sderot. A Gaza-based organisation called Ahfad al-Sahaba-Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis, affiliated to Salafist groups that identify with Daesh, claimed responsibility for the rocket.

The IDF responded by targeting what an official described as Hamas “infrastructure”, with multiple airstrikes hitting around 30 sites in Gaza belonging to Hamas and other military groups.

By destroying Hamas outposts and observation positions near the border, Israel sought to send a message that it holds the terror organisation responsible for maintaining quiet, while reducing its ability to collect intelligence about Israeli army movements.

The r e l a t i v e l y wide- r a nging response by the IDF to the single rocket attack was thought to be down to the tough stance of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has said that he believes Israel should “finish off” Hamas if there were to be another major confrontation.