Sirens were sounded early Thursday morning in the Shaar Hanegev and Sdot Negev regional councils in southern Israel. The IDF confirmed that two launches had been identified from Gaza toward Israel. The rockets appear to have exploded in open areas, without causing injuries or damages. Earlier, Israeli warplanes and military aircraft attacked a number of terrorist targets in a military compound belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in northern Gaza, the IDF said. The attack was carried out in response to the firing of incendiary balloons into Israeli territory earlier. "The IDF views with severity any attempt to harm Israeli citizens and will continue to act against these terrorist acts. The Hamas terrorist organization bears responsibility for everything happening in and out of the Gaza Strip," the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. On Wednesday evening, a fire broke out in the Eshkol Regional Council, as a result of an incendiary balloon that was fired from Gaza. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. There were no reports of injuries. Earlier this week, terrorists from Gaza launched a rocket toward southern Israel that exploded in the sea, near Ashdod, and caused no injuries or damage. In response to the rocket fire, the IDF announced that the fishing area in Gaza would be reduced to six nautical miles until further notice. IDF Spokesman Ronen Manelis said that the Islamic Jihad was behind the rocket fire and that the attack was aimed at disrupting the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
