Rockets were fired Wednesday from Gaza at the southern city of Ashkelon during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appearance at an election event in the city.
The sirens warning of an upcoming rocket fire blared at around 9 pm in the city of Ashkelon and Israeli communities bordering the Hamas-controlled enclave.
Netanyahu being evacuated in Ashkelon during sirens
(Video: Facebook)
Israeli military said the Iron Dome intercepted the one projectile fired at southern Israel. No damage or casualties were reported.
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, were in the southern city at an election conference ahead of Thursday's leadership primaries in the ruling Likud party.
The prime minister was immediately rushed to safety by his security team, a scene reminiscent of the September incident in the city of Ashdod.
"Hamas and Jihad do not want me to win," Netanyahu said after being allowed back on stage. "The one who tried to make an impression the last time, is no longer with us, and the one who tried to make an impression now should start packing the bags,” he added, referring to the Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu Al-Ata, who was assassinated by Israeli military last month.
Three months ago, Netanyahu was evacuated during a rocket alert siren that blared mid-speech as the prime minister was rallying support a week before the September 17 national ballot.
At the time, the video of Netanyahu being escorted by his security was widely criticized by his political opponents.
The video of the incident, uploaded to Netanyahu's Facebook page, was deleted a few minutes later and a host of videos were posted showing support for Netanyahu, who insisted on returning to the stage to continue his speech even though some thought it was dangerous both for him and for the rest of those present.
During the incident in September, attendees of the event remained in the auditorium and did not head for protected spaces. Most of the ministers who were present also there remained in auditorium.