The Home Front Command has warned the residents of Ashdod and Kiryat Malachi to prepare for rocket attacks from Gaza.
On Monday, IDF personnel distributed instructions to residents of the two cities explaining what to do in case of a rocket attack. Recently, both communities were also connected to the Color Red incoming missile alert system as well.
Rocket attacks emanating from Gaza have reached as far as Ashkelon this year. Some of the missiles that exploded in the southern port city were homemade Kassam rockets, but others were the more advanced medium-range Grad-type Katyusha rockets, similar to those used by Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon.
Kiryat Malachi, a small development town located just 17 kilometers (11 miles) southeast of Ashdod, is home to approximately 20,000 people. Its name, which translates as "City of Angels" in English, was chosen as a way of honoring the U.S. city of Los Angeles, which contributed funding towards its establishment.
Ashdod, home to some 207,000 residents, is the fifth largest city in Israel and its port controls approximately 60 percent of all of the country's imported goods. Originally built specifically as the site for a new power station to service the south of the country, it is located only 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva.