BICOM

A rocket was fired last night from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, prompting Israel’s Air Force to strike two strategic Hamas targets in Gaza in response.

The rocket landed in an open area in the Shar Hanegev region and did not cause any injuries or damage. The colour red rocket warning system was not sounded, as the rocket’s trajectory did not indicate that it would not harm populated areas. A second rocket was reportedly fired, but landed within the Gaza Strip.

Hours later, Israel’s Air Force launched a strike targeting two strategic Hamas positions in Gaza. The Walla news site said that a small terror group loosely affiliated to ISIS, the Omar Hadid Brigade had claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, in what is likely an expression of opposition to Hamas’ authority. Nonetheless, an IDF statement said that it holds Hamas responsible for such violent outbreaks, as it is the governing power in Gaza.

Last night’s exchange comes less than a month after the most intense period of violence in the area since Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014. For four days in a row, mortars were fired on Israeli troops at the Gaza border working to locate and uncover underground tunnels. Two major tunnels were uncovered, while several rockets were also fired into southern Israel. Israel’s Air Force responded with several sorties which targeted Hamas infrastructure sites.

Meanwhile, a report in the London-based Asharq al-Awsat says that Iran has resumed financial backing for the Gaza-based terror group Islamic Jihad, having cut funding for as much as two years. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards will apparently pay Islamic Jihad’s Quds Brigade almost £50 million annually. Iran has also reportedly sanctioned the appointment of Tehran loyalist Khaled Mansour, to head the Quds Brigade. Bolstering Islamic Jihad will likely pose a challenge to Hamas’ authority in Gaza and underscores the tensions which remain between Tehran and Hamas, which has declined to support Iran’s ally President Assad in Syria.