Air-raid sirens blared across Tel Aviv and its suburbs on Monday afternoon, warning of incoming rockets from the Gaza Strip for the first time since Jan. 1.
Local reports said at least 10 rockets were fired towards the greater Tel Aviv area, sending millions of civilians racing for shelter.
Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades “military” wing confirmed it fired a volley of rockets at the city “in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians.”
There were no reports of casualties resulting from the attacks. Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported that a vehicle was hit by shrapnel in Rishon Lezion, but that nobody was wounded.
The Israel Defense Forces expressed cautious optimism last month in the wake of a decrease in the number of rocket launches. The sharp drop in rocket attacks is a direct result of the IDF’s ground operation, during which many launch sites have been destroyed, the military added.
Just after midnight on Jan. 1, Hamas welcomed in the new year by launching a wave of rockets towards southern and central Israel. The Iron Dome defense system intercepted most of the projectiles, with others landing in open areas.
