The ready-for-firing launcher was sighted in Beit Hanoun, an Arab Gaza city less than a kilometer from Sderot. An Israel Air Force helicopter opened fire on the launcher and destroyed it. The terrorists escaped.
Several dozen Arab-fired Kassams have been launced at the Negev city over the past year, and four people have been killed - including three children.
In the Binyamin region, near Ofrah north of Jerusalem, an IDF force shot and killed an Arab who ran towards them today. The soldiers first saw the suspicious figure standing near the security fence around their army base, and called for him to identify himself. Instead of doing so, he ran towards them – and the soldiers fired. An investigation is underway.