Liberman: Iran Supplied Rockets Fired at South

Mortar shells that were fired at Israel Friday afternoon were manufactured in Iran and transferred to terrorist groups in Gaza, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said in an interview Motzoei Shabbos. The missiles were not necessarily fired by Hamas, however. “Iran has supplied these missiles to numerous groups; it’s too soon to tell which one fired them,” Liberman told Hadashot News. “But an examination of the missiles indicates that they are from Iran.”

The missiles were fired at communities near the Gaza border Friday afternoon, coinciding with a memorial ceremony for IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, Hy”d. Shaul and Goldin went missing in August 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, and their remains are being held by Hamas. One building suffered a direct hit from one of the three missiles fired, with the other two falling in open areas. In response, IDF planes and tanks hit several Hamas targets in Gaza.

In the interview, Liberman said that Hamas was acting very cautiously, but was losing control over other terrorist groups. “Hamas is being careful because they do not want war, as we do not, but the Salafist and extremist Muslim groups are acting on their own. We still don’t know if it was Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or some other group that fired the missiles, but we will find out and act accordingly.”