Tel Aviv/Gaza, Nov 12 (UNI) Around 20 out of the 50 rockets fired from Gaza Strip towards Israel on Tuesday, in retaliation to an air raid that killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander, were intercepted by Iron Dome, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said here.
Earlier in the day, the IDF said they targeted a building in Shejaiya area of Gaza City, where PIJ leader Baha Abu al-Ata was located.
The 42-year-old is said to have been "responsible for hundreds of terror attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers" and was preparing a new attack against Israel.
A statement issued from the IDF office said that warning sirens sounded in the south and center of the country, including major cities like Tel Aviv, Holon, Ashkelon and Rishon LeTsiyon.
Schools were closed in several cities across southern and central Israel, from Tel Aviv to Sderot. Train service between Ashkelon and Sderot, as well as between Beer Sheva and Sderot, was shut down.
For security reasons, indoor gatherings of no more than 300 people were allowed in a number of regions.
Islamic Jihad movement's spokesperson Musab Barim told Sputnik that Baha Abu al-Ata's assassination was nothing, but a blatant aggression against the Palestinian people.
One of the leaders of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Mohammad Khalaf, told Sputnik that Palestine would not let this without a response.
Ofir Gendelman, a spokesperson to the Arab media in the Israel Prime Minister's Office, said the operation was approved by the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.
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