Regional council heads warn that parts of South out of Iron Dome’s protective range, lack bomb-proof structures.
By YAAKOV LAPPINKassam rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip 311 (R)(photo credit: Nikola Solic / Reuters)
Taking advantage of poor visibility and heavy cloud cover, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired eight rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday.Seven rockets fell in open fields in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council at night, triggering a series of Red Alert rocket alarms. An additional rocket struck a farming community earlier in the day.There were no injuries or damages reported.After the attacks, southern regional council heads warned that an area situated between 4.5 kilometers and 7 km. from the Gaza border is out of range for the Iron Dome rocket shield system.Homes in the area also do not have rocket-proof reinforcements, local officials said.“Residents in this area are exposed all year round,” the officials said in a statement.They called on the government to make the necessary funds available for the construction of safe zones in the area.It was not immediately clear what type of projectiles were fired. The Kassam 2 rocket is known to have a range of 8-10 km., while the Kassam 3 has a range of 10 km.Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and smaller terror factions in Gaza have access to large numbers of longer-range rockets as well, such as the Grad 2-type rocket, which has a range of 40 km. and carries a deadly warhead of 6.3 kilograms of explosives.In October, Ashdod, Beersheba and Gan Yavne were all struck with rockets fired by Islamic Jihad, which initiated an unprovoked escalation.
