TASS, May 2: The Israeli military carried out a series of air attacks against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to the launch of air balloons containing flammable and explosive substances in the direction of the State of Israel, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) reported in its Twitter account on Thursday.
"In response to the explosive and arson balloons launched from Gaza to Israel earlier today, our Air Force recently struck a number of Hamas terror targets in Gaza. We hold Hamas responsible," the IDF Tweeted.
In late April the IDF announced that it came up with special means, which help to detect and intercept kites and air balloons containing flammable and explosive substances released near the border of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian radicals started launching flammable objects in the direction of Israel near the border of Gaza in the course of mass rallies, which erupted in late March. Israel views the launches as terrorism. Although no casualties were reported, the damage inflicted by arson balloons and kites amounts to millions of US dollars.
The IDF reported later in the day that "Israeli families in southern Israel are jolted awake by the sound of air-raid sirens as 2 rockets are fired from Gaza at Israel."
After the declaration of a ceasefire, in the early hours of March 26, Palestinian radicals launched about 30 missiles targeting Southern Israel, the army press service reports. In response, the Israeli military hit 15 military targets in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict took another turn when in the early morning of March 25, a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip struck a residential building in the moshav (agricultural community - TASS) of Mishmeret in Central Israel, north of Tel Aviv.
The attack left seven people injured including children. In response to the rocket fire, the army launched an offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The previous military operation in Gaza dubbed Protective Edge lasted 50 days in July-August 2014, its official objective was to force the Palestinian enclave to cease rocket attacks on Israel.
