Incendiary balloons from Gaza spark fires in Israel for second day in a row
(VOVWORLD) - Firefighters battled four blazes in southern Israel Wednesday that were sparked by balloon-borne incendiary devices launched from the Gaza Strip for the second day in a row.
 Smoke rises up following an Israeli airstrike into Gaza on June 16, 2021. Photo: AFP/VNA |
The fires, all located in the Eshkol region, were small and posed no risk to nearby communities, the Fire and Rescue Services said in a statement. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck Hamas military targets in Gaza after midnight on Wednesday in response to Tuesday’s arson attacks, which caused 26 fires in southern border towns. The arson attacks and IDF counterstrikes were the first exchange between groups in Gaza and the army since last month’s 11-day conflict in the Strip that killed at least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis.