Three days after the biggest military escalation between Israel and Syria in years, in which the IDF launched dozens of air force attack missions on alleged Iranian sites operating out of Syria, on Saturday evening the Israeli military struck Gaza with explosions heard in the Strip’s north.
Footage of multiple explosions in the Israeli airstrike in northern #Gaza. Palestinian media report Hamas is firing back at the Israeli airplanes (lately they tried to use machine guns against the Israeli aircraft, not successfully) pic.twitter.com/PCxbMSyDxr
— Asaf Ronel (@AsafRonel) May 12, 2018
According to Palestinian reports, the Israel Air Force targeted a generator and fired as many as 20 missiles toward an agricultural area east of the city of Beit Hanoun. No casualties have been reported according to local press.
More than 20 missiles launched at a target in northern Gaza – Palestinian media. Here are some of the explosions pic.twitter.com/71TnzG3Mg1
— Asaf Ronel (@AsafRonel) May 12, 2018
According to Haaretz, the attack comes hours after Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that Israel is closing the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip due to arson caused by Palestinian protesters along the border. According to the Israeli army, the crossing will be closed except for humanitarian cases that will be approved on an individual basis. The crossing, the only one through which cargo passes from Israel to Gaza, will stay closed until the damage caused by the arson is repaired.
Hamas official to @galberger re:the damage protesters caused yesterday to Kerem Shalom crossing: unacceptable. We won’t let it happen againhttps://t.co/Boer6dBVAv
— Asaf Ronel (@AsafRonel) May 12, 2018
On Friday, Palestinians protesting along the border reportedly set fire to a pipeline through which Israel supplies gas and fuel to Gaza and a conveyor belt near the crossing. This is the second consecutive week that demonstrators have set fire to the Palestinian side of the crossing.
The attack comes just two days ahead of the US embassy moving to Jerusalem.
