Iron Dome intercepts 17 Gaza rockets; 6 land near Beersheba

By JPOST.COM STAFF

11/14/2012 20:58  The Jerusalem Post

Palestinians in Gaza launch at least 55 rockets into southern Israel following assassination of Hamas military leader Jabari, dozens of air and naval strikes in Gaza; Grad is launched toward Dimona.

Photo: REUTERS

 

Terrorists from the Gaza Strip renewed their rocket-fire on southern Israel following the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense Wednesday night, which struck terrorist targets in the Palestinian enclave.

Related:

• Profile of a terrorist: Ahmed Jabari
• Hamas: Assassination is a declaration of war

The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted 17 rockets, most of which were Grad rockets launched toward Beersheba. According to Police, a total of 55 projectiles were fired during the course of the evening.

For a timeline of the latest escalation in Gaza: click here
Six rockets landed near Beersheba, one causing damage, and Channel 2 reported that for the first time, a rocket was fired toward Dimona, home to Israel's nuclear reactor. One rocket struck a house in Ashdod, and another damaged electric infrastructure in Eshkol.


Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that IDF operations wiped out most of the long-range Fajr rockets, which have the capability of reaching the center of the country and Tel Aviv..

According to the IDF, over 12,000 rockets hit Israel in the past 12 years, 768 in 2012 alone.