This morning, the Israel Air Force intercepted a drone aircraft that took off from the Gaza Strip and penetrated Israeli air space. The interception took place over the coast at Ashdod, using a Patriot missile. The Israel Navy is searching for remains of the aircraft.
Air raid sirens were sounded in Ashdod, and several residents reported that they spotted the drone over the beach area and heard it for some time but did not realize what it was. The IDF is investigating how such a large entity managed to penetrate Israeli air space and why it took such a long time until it was detected and shot down.
Meanwhile, rocket fire at the south of Israel continued this morning. Several rockets fell in the Ashkelon area, one of them close to a house on a kibbutz. No-one was injured, but there was damage to property.
The IDF has continued extensive operations in the Gaza Strip in the past twenty-four hours, attacking 204 targets, among them 28 buried rocket launchers, 18 suspected tunnel entrances, and 11 military compounds. Eleven terrorists are reported to have been killed overnight. Palestinian media report that the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the current round of fighting began last Monday night is 173, with some 1,230 wounded.
The north of Israel was also unquiet last night. Around midnight, two rockets were fired towards Nahariya and the Western Galilee, apparently from Lebanon. No-one was hurt and no damage is reported.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 14, 2014
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