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A long exposure picture shows an interception by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, May 14, 2021. (Avi Roccah/Flash90)
Cities and communities in southern Israel faced an intense barrage of rockets overnight Friday-Saturday, with several heavy waves of projectile fire targeting Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba, Sderot and the surrounding areas.
The bombardment came as the Israeli military continued to strike numerous targets in the Gaza Strip since midnight, taking out rocket-launching sites, terror cells and a Hamas intelligence center, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The military said it struck many rocket-launching positions, including a long-range launcher used to fire rockets at Jerusalem in the Monday salvo that began the latest conflict.
شاهد: لحظة هروب جماعي للمستــــوطنين على شاطئ تل أبــيب بعد انطلاق صفـــارات الإنـــذار.#فلسطينpic.twitter.com/ovN1vOpXkW
Some two hours after the barrages, the Israel Defense Forces warned the occupants of the Al Jalaal tower in Gaza used by international news organizations that it was set to be destroyed.
After felling the structure, the IDF said the high-rise building housed “military assets” used by the military intelligence wing of the Strip’s Hamas rulers.
The IDF accused the terror group of “hiding behind” the offices of the press outlets in the Al Jalaa tower and “using them as human shields.”
“The Hamas terror group intentionally locates its military assets in the hearts of civil populations in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said, noting it warned those in the building before the strike and says it gave them sufficient time to clear out.