The Iron Dome defense system intercepted a rocket fired at the western Negev from the Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit reported Monday evening on Twitter.
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This was the first confirmed rocket fired from Gaza in approximately six months. The Color Red rocket alert sounded in the western Negev communities of Kissufim and Ein Hashlosha.
The Eshkol Regional Council issued a statement saying that residents had heard the explosion from the interception, and that there were no reported damage or injuries. The council also said there were no special instructions in place for residents.
Meanwhile, in the western Negev, which borders the Gaza Strip, there has been concern for some time about a possible escalation as tensions spread nationwide.
Firefighters and first responders were making preparations to handle a new onslaught of explosives-laden balloons floated over the border fence by Hamas operatives in an attempt to cause wildfires.
Terrorists in Gaza just fired a rocket into Israel.
The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System intercepted the rocket. pic.twitter.com/jNyL06yS5q
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 18, 2022
"Given everything that happens with the balloons in the western Negev, we've been preparing since the start of winter, along with all the [security] branches – the army, the JNF-KKL, and with all the local authorities," Captain of the Southern District of Israel's Fire and Rescue Services Shmulik Friedman told Israel Hayom.
"We have well-ordered directives with the army when it comes to everything having to do with balloon terrorism. One of the important things in this zone is that every fire can have political significance. A firefighter has to know when to say the fire is out," Friedman observed.
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