Residents of Ashdod woke up to an atmosphere of tense quiet Wednesday after Gaza fired a Grad Katyusha missile at their coastal city Tuesday night.
The missile was intercepted by two Iron Dome rockets from a battery that was deployed near the city in the course of the last few weeks.
Asher, a haredi resident of the city's 7th Quarter, told Arutz Sheva that Israel's deterrence has been dramatically eroded over the years.
"They keep telling us that these are unimportant organizations that are trying to embarrass the Hamas movement that rules Gaza,” he said. “That is hogwash. It is Hamas that rules there and every launch is planned. What happened is that Israeli deterrence has been worn thin. They are not afraid. They know that in response, the IDF will take down an empty structure or two, not before it announces its intent to do so. That is how we look at this point.”
Echoing the sentiments of many neighbors, he said that while there is “no fear” in Ashdod, the residents “are leading their regular life's routine and hoping that the holiday festivity is not interrupted.”