Rockets fired on Jerusalem area, sirens sounded in Bet Shemesh and Judean towns, Iron Dome activates

Rocket attacks on Jerusalem region reported after hours of calm as Israel weighs ceasefire with Islamic Jihad.

By World Israel News Staff

Emergency warning sirens were sounded in the Jerusalem corridor west of the capital Friday afternoon, and in Israeli towns in Judea after multiple rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip towards Jerusalem.

The attack came just after 12:00 p.m. Friday, shortly after a round of rocket fire on southern Israel in the late morning, which ended some 13 hours of calm on the Gaza frontier.

Red alert sirens were reported in Beit Shemesh and other towns in the Jerusalem corridor, along with communities in the Gush Etzion area south of the capital.

At least one rocket was confirmed to have landed in the area, hitting an open space in the Gush Etzion town of Bat Ayin.

Two more rockets were shot down by Israel’s missile defense network, including one confirmed shoot-down by the Iron Dome system, and another by the newer David’s Sling system.

Later, additional rocket launches were detected towards Gaza frontier towns. Officials in Sderot reported that a home there had suffered a direct hit.

No injuries were reported, though the home sustained major damage.

During the first wave of attacks late Friday morning, 15 rocket launches were reported, with the Iron Dome missile defense network shooting down four projectiles, with ten more landing inside the Gaza Strip or in open fields.

One rocket struck a greenhouse in southern Israel.

Shortly after the rocket attacks on the Jerusalem area, the IDF announced it has launched retaliatory strikes on Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.