Netanyahu rushed off stage at election rally as Gaza rocket intercepted
Israeli prime minister was speaking at an event in Ashkelon when projectile fired by terrorists in Gaza interrupted him
Israel said a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into its southern territory on Wednesday, forcing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be hustled from a stage during an election rally in the city of Ashkelon.
The Israeli military said its air defence system, known as Iron Dome, intercepted the rocket. There were no reports of casualties.
Israel’s Haaretz daily published a video on its website showing Mr Netanyahu being taken to a shelter as he was campaigning hours before the primaries of his Likud party.
Mr Netanyahu says he knows how to protect Israel, but opponents accuse him of being soft on handling threats from Gaza.
A similar incident happened in September when Mr Netanyahu was in the nearby city of Ashdod.
He was campaigning then for the second general Israeli election of the year.
That was believed to have triggered Israel’s targeted killing of a senior commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in November.
Israel and Gaza terrorists had their worst round of fighting in months as a result.
No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack.
Such sporadic launches of rockets and ensuing Israeli airstrikes have happened frequently despite an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that ended two days of fighting in November.
Hamas, the larger Islamic terror movement controlling Gaza, seeks “understandings” withIsrael to alleviate Gaza’s economic and humanitarian crises.
The terror group stayed on the sidelines during the November flare-up.
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