Rocket launched from Sinai lands in Eshkol Regional Council
Residents near Gaza region report hearing booms after alert sounded; IDF detects two rocket launches from the Sinai Peninsula; one rocket landed on open land, no casualties; ISIS claims responsibility.
One of the rockets exploded on open, uninhabited land and was located following the IDF's searches of the area. No casualties were reported. Earlier, residents in the region reported hearing booms after the sirens.
On Monday, the Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying the rockets were targeting Israel Air Force planes flying in the area, according to a report on Amaq, the terror organization's official news agency.
"I hope this isn't the start of a new trend. The IDF needs to stop launches like this even when they originate in Sinai. We won't consent to a return to getting fired on every other week," said head of the Eshkol Regional Council Gadi Yarkoni in response to the rockets launched at his council.
Last week, the IDF destroyed a Hamas observation post in retaliation for a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip earlier in the evening.
Earlier in the day, suspected Islamic State terrorists attacked six checkpoints in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, killing six soldiers and wounding 37, according to security and hospital officials.
The officials said the near-simultaneous attacks took place at and around the town of Sheikh Zweid, with dozens of terrorists using heavy machine guns and mortars. Apache helicopter gunships were called in to repel the attackers, said the officials. An army statement said 24 of the attackers were killed and two SUVs they used were destroyed.
The area was being combed by army troops in pursuit of the terrorists, said the statement.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Egyptian security forces have for years battled terrorists in northern Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip and Israel. But the insurgency there has gained momentum after the Egyptian military ousted an elected Islamist president in 2013.
The insurgency is led by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group.
