Iron Dome in action (file)
Iron Dome in action (file)Israel news photo: Flash 90

Overnight Wednesday, the IDF moved batteries of Iron Dome anti-rocket missiles to various areas of southern Israel. The IDF moved the batteries to the area in the wake of a recent increase in violence and attacks by Gaza Arab terrorists against Israelis.

The most serious incident occurred Tuesday when a Gaza Arab terrorist shot and killed 22-year-old Salah Abu-Latif of Rahat, a civilian IDF employee who was working on repairs to the Gaza security fence. The IDF views the incident as particularly serious due to the fact that Latif was murdered in Israeli territory, an army spokesperson said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the IDF hit six targets in Gaza linked to terrorist groups. Gaza terrorists again Wednesday night attempted to kill Israeli civilians when they fired a rocket at towns in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council in southern Israel. The rocket exploded in an open area, causing no physical injuries or damages. The “Red Alert” siren was heard in the region prior to the explosion. On Sunday night, Gaza terrorists fired a Kassam short-range rocket into the same area.

Speaking Wednesday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that Israel would not stand for a terror rampage from Gaza, and would hold Hamas responsible for any attack or harm to Israelis. Regarding Tuesday's murder of an Israeli civilian, Ya'alon said that "Hamas is responsible for the shooting, and they had better realize that unless Israeli citizens have quiet and security, Gaza won't either. Palestinian Authority incitement is the cause for the recent wave of terror coming from Judea and Samaria, and we will do our best to thwart it.”

Just in case, he said, the IDF has deployed the Iron Dome system to southern Israel, but he stressed that even if the system successfully thwarts all attacks by Gaza Arab terrorists on civilians, the IDF would respond with full force against terror targets in Gaza.