BICOM

In a targeted air strike late last night, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) killed a member of the Gaza-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (PFLP) military wing, responsible for recent rocket attacks against Israel.

The target, Ahmed Za’anin was reportedly a former member of Islamic Jihad and according to the IDF had orchestrated rocket attacks on Israel since 2009, including the two rockets which were fired shortly after the conclusion of Ariel Sharon’s funeral last week. Za’anin was apparently also responsible for sniper fire and explosions targeting Israeli border patrols. According to Reuters, Za’anin was killed while sitting in a parked car. An Islamic Jihad member, Za’anin’s cousin, was also killed in the air strike.

The IDF said it “acted to remove an immediate threat to Israeli civilians” and that Za’anin “carried out many destructive acts against Israeli civilians and the IDF, with an emphasis on rocket fire.” The air strike came after three rockets were fired from Gaza into the Eshkol region of southern Israel early yesterday morning, causing no damage or injuries. A bomb was also detonated near the Gaza border fence, targeting but failing to harm Israeli soldiers.

Last night’s air strike follows a sharp increase in the number of rockets fired from Gaza and attacks on IDF border patrols over the past few weeks, piercing the relative quiet since Operation Pillar of Defence in November 2012. The latest rocket attacks included a salvo of five rockets aimed at the Israeli city of Ashkelon last Thursday, which were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. On Sunday, Israel launched its first pre-emptive strike for some time, targeting an Islamic Jihad operative also responsible for rocket attacks.

Earlier this week, media reports suggested that Hamas has deployed hundreds of officers to prevent rocket fire by other terror groups for fear of a wider confrontation developing with Israel.