Incendiary balloon with hand grenade attached lands in Western Negev

Police volunteers spot balloon landing while overseeing traffic on route 232.

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Updated: SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 02:12
Hand grenade attached to balloon in the Western Negev (photo credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Hand grenade attached to balloon in the Western Negev
(photo credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An incendiary balloon with a hand grenade attached to it landed in Western Negev on Monday, causing no injuries.
Police volunteers overseeing traffic on Route 232 saw it land and, upon discovering the attached hand grenade, called police teams that disarmed the device.
Police warned the public against approaching balloons and kites due to the risk explosives might be attached to them.
An incendiary balloon landed in the yard of the residency of Knesset Member Haim Jelin [Yesh Atid] in Kibbutz Be'eri on Saturday.
"They [the Palestinians] are still at it," he said in a statement, "there is no agreement."
Gaza residents took to using incendiary balloons and kites against Israel since late March. This strategy lead to NIS 5 million in damages and 5,000 agriculture dunams burnt, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon stated in June, Channel 10 news reported.
While there was a decrease of incendiary kites and balloons launched into Israel in late August the number had been steadly rising in September. This comes despite Hamas statements they are not looking to start a war with Israel.