Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed off the stage, on Wednesday evening, at an election campaign event, Israel’s Haaretz reported.
Emergency sirens sounded in several communities, when alleged rocket fire from Gaza was claimed, by the army, to have been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Netanyahu and his wife were escorted to a shelter near the event in Ashkelon, southern Israel.
The prime minister later returned to the stage and continued his address, and referred to the November assassination of senior Islamic Jihad commander, Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, in the Gaza Strip.
“He who fired [rockets] last time isn’t with us anymore,” Netanyahu said. “And he who fired now, better start packing his belongings,” he continued, seemingly implying that whoever is behind the rocket fire this time will be targeted and retaliated against in a similar way.
“This isn’t an attack on me or on Ashkelon, it’s not that. These are recurring attacks on our communities, and they think that we won’t hurt them or that we’ll break down,” he added.
Videos of the event were live streamed on local newspaper websites in the south, revealing the premier’s exact location.
Photo: Palestine News Network
Edited for IMEMC: Ali Salam
