The Israeli Home Front Command, a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), decided on Monday to suspend road and rail traffic in the country's south in the wake of the recent shelling of the Israeli territories by the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) The Israeli Home Front Command, a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), decided on Monday to suspend road and rail traffic in the country's south in the wake of the recent shelling of the Israeli territories by the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
On Sunday, IDF said that Palestinian militants had fired 21 rockets into southern Israel and 13 of them had been intercepted. Shortly after that, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the shelling, prompting Israel to attack dozens of Islamic Jihad's targets in Gaza and Syria in response.
"After assessing the situation, the Israeli army decided to block highways adjacent to the border with the Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.
Schools in the southern parts of the country, including Sderot and Ashkelon cities, have been closed over the increased tensions, while all mass events in the area have been halted.
Rail service between Ashkelon and Beersheba has also been suspended.
