IDF fighter jets, combat helicopters and tanks attacked Hamas terror targets early Thursday morning for the second consecutive day in response to the scores of incendiary and explosive balloons launched from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel over the past week.

“During the attack, military facilities of Hamas’s naval force, underground infrastructure and observation posts belonging to the Hamas terror group were attacked,” the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF also stopped the transfer of fuel into Gaza, the Office of the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated on Thursday. The move follows the closing of the Kerem Shalom Gaza crossing on Tuesday, halting the transfer of all goods apart from fuel, food and vital humanitarian aid.

Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the restriction of the Gaza Strip’s fishing zone, reducing it from 15 to eight nautical miles until further notice in response to the continuous arson attacks in the past week, which has sparked scores of fires in southern Israel.

Gantz made the decision after consulting with and on the recommendation of IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi.

Israel’s Border Police also deployed Israel’s new Lahav-Or laser system to intercept explosive ballons for the first time on Wednesday. However, the system cannot provide coverage for the entire Gaza border and is limited to one specific location.

Balloons continue to land in southern Israel on Thursday, leading to more fires. Over 100 fires have been kindled in the past several days, scorching thousands of dunams of land, including forest trees and agricultural fields.

המתיחות בדרום | שתי שריפות פרצו הבוקר כתוצאה מבלוני תבערה ששוגרו מרצועת עזה
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— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 13, 2020

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)