On Wednesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed off stage during a campaign event after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed a rocket attack on southern Israel. “Sirens sounding in southern Israel,” the IDF announced on social media:
🚨Sirens sounding in southern Israel🚨
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 25, 2019
In a follow-up tweet, the IDF confirmed that Iron Dome, the highly effective mobile defense system, intercepted a rocket fired at Israeli civilians from Gaza.
On Hanukkah, the festival of miracles, Israel's modern miracle—the Iron Dome—just intercepted a rocket mid-air after it was fired from #Gaza at Israeli civilians. pic.twitter.com/IuuAfIIGv1
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 25, 2019
The IDF added that the Israeli Air Force struck “a number of Hamas terror targets in Gaza.”
In response to the rocket fired from #Gaza at Israeli civilians earlier tonight, the Israeli Air Force just struck a number of Hamas terror targets in Gaza.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 26, 2019
According to reports, explosions were heard in the Gaza Strip:
An IDF airstrike against a militant site west of #Gaza City. #Israel pic.twitter.com/CNzp0jhMG0
— Joe Truzman (@Jtruzmah) December 26, 2019
After sirens went off in Ashkelon, where Netanhay was speaking, he was escorted to a shelter:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evacuated from campaign event after rocket fired from Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said its air defense system, known as Iron Dome, intercepted the rocket. There were no reports of casualties. https://t.co/peor8IjwbC pic.twitter.com/3no9rpdojI
— ABC News (@ABC) December 25, 2019
The prime minister returned to the hall to continue his speech a short time later.
In September, Netanyahu was rushed from the stage during a campaign event in Ashdod amid another rocket attack, which was reportedly ordered by former Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) official Baha Abu Al Ata, who was killed in November.
“The person that shot at us before [Baha Abu Al Ata] is no longer with us,” said Netanyahu when he returned to the stage on Wednesday. “Whoever shot at us now should pack up his belongings.”
There were no reported casualties as the result of the attack and counter-attack. Israeli military officials said Hamas is responsible for the rocket fired at civilians on Wednesday and warned, “It will suffer the consequences of activities against Israeli citizens.”
IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Aviv Kohavi warned that in the next war, Israel “will forcefully strike within urban areas” because the enemy positions itself there. “The enemy also chooses to fire thousands of rockets and missiles at Israeli civilians,” he said. “It is our mission to stop this.”
Kohavi said that unlike their enemies, who attack civilians, Israel chooses to strike based on “good intelligence, good striking capabilities, quality maneuvering.”
“But we will strike forcefully because there is no other way to stop the very dangerous threat posed by the phenomenon of rockets and missiles [fired] at Israel,” he said. “We will warn the population on the other side. We will warn the civilians to evacuate, and immediately after, we will forcefully strike.”
The IDF chief also had a stern warning for countries that are aiding and abetting the attacks on Israel:
“And we’ll also strike the infrastructure of the host country [of these terror groups]. Anything that supports terror, anyone that enables terror to exist, to act, and to attack us,” he said. “Electricity, fuel, and infrastructure — we will strike. The country hosting the terror group, that allows the terror group, or that even encourages a terror group, should know that it bears the responsibility.”
“The responsibility lies with the Lebanese government. The responsibility lies with Hamas. The responsibility lies with Syria — and I won’t point out the other countries,” Kohavi declared.
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