BICOM

Yesterday evening, Israel’s Air Force launched a strike against an apparent rocket launching cell in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one of its members. The IDF said the cell was about to launch rockets at communities in southern Israel.

The strike took place in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. Palestinian sources said that one man was killed and three seriously injured in the operation. The Ma’an news agency identified the dead man as 21-year-old Mus’ab Za’aneen and said that he was a member of Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades.

An Israeli army statement said that, “Israel Air Force aircraft targeted terrorists preparing to launch rockets in the northern Gaza Strip … The mission was carried out in order to eliminate an imminent attack targeting civilian communities of southern Israel.” The strike came shortly after the Code Red missile warning siren was sounded in the Ashkelon Coast region. No rocket was recovered and Israeli media reports that a missile was most likely fired but failed to reach Israel.

IDF spokesman Peter Lerner added via Twitter, “IDF intelligence, operational capability and determination to eliminate a real time threat keeps Israelis safe in their homes.” On Friday, Israel’s Air Force launched a similar strike, targeting what it identified as an underground rocket launcher near Beit Hanoun. No injuries were reported.

Since the start of 2014, there has been a sharp increase in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip onto southern Israel, with 33 rockets fired in January and further attacks on IDF border patrols. They included a salvo of five rockets aimed at Ashkelon, which was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system. Although many of the recent attacks are thought to have been carried out by independent Islamist groups, Israel holds Hamas responsible for the violence, as it has administered the Gaza Strip since violently overthrowing the Fatah faction in 2007.