Israeli warplanes on Monday carried out raids against military posts belonging to the Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, according to sources. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua news agency that Israeli artillery attacked two Hamas monitoring sites in the eastern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, while the warplanes struck an agricultural land in Khan Younis.
No injuries were reported, but the attack caused considerable damages, according to the sources. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a statement that the "raids came in response to the continuation of the launch of balloons attached to incendiary or explosive materials into Israeli towns".
Increased Military Tension
"We are working with determination against any attempt to commit acts against our residents in the towns adjacent to the coastal enclave," added the statement. On Sunday night, Israeli authorities dealt with 28 fires resulted from arson balloons launched by Gaza's youths at Ashkelon, Sha'ar Hanegev and Eshkol in southern Israel, according to Israeli security sources.
Since August 6, the besieged coastal enclave has witnessed military tensions with the Israeli army, as the Palestinian youths have been restoring the launch of incendiary balloons toward Israeli cities adjacent to the strip.
Targetting Hamas Sites
As a result, Israeli warplanes targeted dozens of military sites belonging to the Hamas movement, in response to the launch of arson balloons. Due to the balloon attacks, Israel has closed Kerem Shalom, the only commercial crossing on the country's border with the Gaza Strip.
This halted fuel supply and reduced the enclave's fishing zone. The Israeli government has held the Islamic Hamas movement responsible for launching the balloons that caused fear to the populations and severe damage to the agriculture sector.
