Gaza rocket hits city near Tel Aviv, no damage reported November 15, 2012 - 21:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, November 15 struck Rishon LeTzion, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) southeast of Tel Aviv, the Israeli army said, but there were no injuries or damage, according to AFP. The strike marked the furthest by far of hundreds of rockets fired by Gaza militants into southern Israel since the Jewish state launched a massive operation in the Hamas-controlled enclave on Wednesday. Experts said it was most likely an Iranian-built Fajr 5 from Hamas’s arsenal, which have a range of up to 75 kilometres (46 miles). “There was a rocket that hit in an open field in the Rishon LeTzion area. There were no injuries or damage,” an army spokeswoman said. The city, Israel’s fourth largest with a population of some 228,000, lies about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the Gaza Strip. The attack came as Israel carried out waves of air strikes on Gaza, killing 15 Palestinians, at least seven of them Hamas militants in a 24-hour period. Over the same period, militants fired more than 200 rockets at Israel, killing three people and injuring 19, of them three soldiers. The Qassam Brigades assumed responsibility, saying in a statement they “launched a local rocket at Tel Aviv”, which could imply the rocket was in fact not a Fajr 5. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Thursday the Israeli air force had “caused significant damage to the Fajr rockets aimed at Tel Aviv, the (surrounding) Dan region and north of that.” He also pledged to take “whatever action is necessary” to defend Israeli citizens from Palestinian rocket attacks, in a statement to the media.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
