BREAKING NEWS

Israel hits Hamas posts after incendiary balloons, drone fall near border

The balloons were discovered by resident Batya Holin, who shared a picture on Facebook.

JANUARY 6, 2019 12:25

Updated: JANUARY 6, 2019 20:24

Israel struck a pair of outposts belonging to the terrorist group Hamas after a drone with dozens of incendiary balloons landed inside Israel on the Gaza border, the army said in a statement on Sunday.

The balloons were discovered by resident Batya Holin, who shared a picture on Facebook.

Toy drone with countless balloons launched from the #GazaStrip was found by a resident of a southern #Israel community less than an hour ago. pic.twitter.com/OpnoHJwIcz
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) January 6, 2019

The balloons were attached to a drone, which was labeled with a logo from the Gaza engineering college. The balloons sat in a field near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip for most of the day before security personnel could raise the drone using heavy machinery. When that occurred, the device detonated, but the incident did not cause any damage or injuries.

Palestinians frequently send balloons, kites and other items laced with incendiary devices over the border fence in attempts to harm Israeli territory, since the "Great March of Return" riots along the fence began in March 2018. The devices have burned more than half the forested land in the area, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) data showed in October.

The fires have burned nearly 1,200 hectares of land near the Gaza Strip, more than half of the 2,100 hectares of forested land in the region.

IDF jets, tanks, or helicopters regularly target Hamas outposts after incendiary devices in Israel.