Iron Dome (file)
Iron Dome (file)Eddy Israel, Flash 90

Emergency sirens went off in the southern coastal city of Ashdod on Tuesday evening at around 10:48 p.m.

One rocket that was fired towards the city from Gaza was intercepted by an Iron Dome missile over nearby Ashkelon, the IDF said.

No injuries or damage have been reported. 


Video: Eli Edri

The rocket fire from Gaza came hours after Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon toured Gaza Belt communities and spoke about the security situation in the south. 

Ya'alon said that Israel had succeeded in deterring Hamas in the course of Operation Protective Edge last year.

"A year has passed since Operation Protective Edge, and there is no doubt that here, beyond the fence, in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, the body that controls Gaza, has been deterred, and faces internal challenges, including ISIS terrorists and others who sometimes fire [at Israel] from the Gaza Strip to challenge [Hamas]."

Ya'alon said that Israel is dealing with Gaza with a "carrot and stick" approach. “Hamas faces different challenges,” he explained, “and we are trying in this matter used not only sticks but carrots, too, to allow in materials for reconstruction or other goods to propel the economy, because we do not have any interest in having the people of Gaza live in abject conditions."

"As long as they do not threaten us or harm our communities, we allow it, of course, and even encourage it. So I hope that the current security situation will continue in the coming years."