IDF soldiers, backed by a helicopter and UAV, on Tuesday evening conducted an exchange of fire with a number of terrorists in the Ashkelon Industrial Area.
The soldiers killed three terrorists and are continuing to conduct searches in the area. A fire broke out in the area during the incident, and fire forces are on their way to the scene.
Residents of Ashkelon were asked to "minimize the exits from their homes as much as possible in the coming hours, with an emphasis on the coastal strip, and to maintain high vigilance."
Residents of the Sdot Negev Regional Council, which is located near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, were instructed, due to fear of infiltration by terrorists, to shut themselves in their homes, lock the doors and enter protected spaces until further notice.
Earlier on Tuesday, IDF soldiers neutralized two terrorists in the area of Kibbutz Mefalsim.
About an hour later, soldiers killed two terrorists in the area of Kibbutz Re'im.