The Israeli Air Force was busy Tuesday night and deep into the wee hours of Wednesday morning as fighter pilots flew sorties carrying out air strikes against terrorist targets. According to an IDF update at 7:45 AM, the Gazans launched 45 rockets at Israel overnight. Iron Dome intercepted 7 of them, and 3 rockets fell short and landed within Gaza.
The attacks came in retaliation for numerous barrages of rocket attacks launched from Gaza at southern Israel.
A total of 25 Hamas positions were struck after midnight, a follow-up to three air strikes that were carried out earlier in the evening.
“Eleven terror targets in four military compounds belonging to the Hamas terror organization, including an underground training compound,” were targeted, the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement posted on his official Twitter account.
“IAF fighter jets targeted approximately 25 terror objectives in the Gaza Strip so far. The Hamas terror organization targeted Israeli civilians throughout the night with a severe rocket attack and is dragging the Gaza Strip and its civilians down a deteriorating path,” the IDF Spokesperson said.
“Hamas is responsible for everything that transpires in the Gaza Strip and will bear the consequences for deliberately targeting Israeli civilians. The IDF is prepared to defend Israeli civilians and will increase its activity as necessary.”
Earlier in the evening, fighter jets targeted three military sites in a Hamas compound in the southern sector of the enclave in retaliation for the explosive “condom” balloons that Gazans have been using to fly incendiary devices into Israel to ignite fires in farmland and forests.
“The strike was conducted in response to the repeated launching of incendiary kites and balloons with explosive devices attached to them from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory,” the IDF Spokesperson said.
“The IDF is prepared to continue operating with increased intensity and with various means in response to these terror attacks.”