Israel was once again at the center of events related to rocket threats on Friday evening. Air raid sirens sounded around 9 p.m. in the city of Ashkelon and surrounding areas, including the kibbutzim of Yad Mordechai, Zikim and Netiv HaAsara. Residents of the southern areas of the country were forced to take refuge in shelters, fearing further attacks. 

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), two rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip. According to preliminary information, the responsibility for the attacks lies with militants of the Islamic Jihad (a terrorist group banned in Russia – editor's note), and not with Hamas, as was initially assumed. The Iron Dome anti-missile system successfully intercepted both targets, preventing possible destruction and casualties. 

However, the events of the evening did not end there. About half an hour later, residents of the suburbs of Haifa (the Krayot district) heard powerful explosions. Fears of shelling from Lebanon caused panic, but the military quickly refuted these assumptions. It turned out that the air defense systems responded to a false target over the sea. Perhaps the alarm was caused by a flock of birds or an unmanned object that did not pose a real threat. 

A little later, at 21:45 p.m., sirens sounded again in Sderot and several nearby kibbutzim. However, this time too, the alarm turned out to be false, as the military reported a few minutes later. 

The fact that Islamic Jihad militants continue to attack Israel could lead to the IDF resuming strikes on the Gaza Strip despite the agreement.