Palestinians Send 2 Rockets from West Bank Toward Israel

Two rockets reportedly were launched from the Jenin area of the northern West Bank toward Israel on Monday morning, the first rocket attacks by Palestinians from the West Bank in 18 years.

Israel Defense Forces said the rockets landed inside territory of the Palestinian Authority, The Jerusalem Post reported. One rocket fell about 16 feet from the launch area and the other about 262 feet away, the IDF said. No injuries or damage was reported.

“The rockets did not pose a threat to the civilians in the area at any stage,” the IDF said, adding they were makeshift with limited capabilities.

The Times of Israel reported a video on the Telegram account of the group Al-Ayyash Battalion, apparently named after notorious Hamas bombmaker Yahya Ayyash killed by Israel in 1996, showed the group launching the rockets.

The group released similar footage in late May, and the IDF said troops had located the rocket launcher several hours later in the village of Nazlet Zeid, west of Jenin and close to the settlement of Shaked. The video published Monday showed the two rockets before they were launched, with a note taped to one threatening larger attacks in the future.

The launches came on the same day Israel’s government approved plans to build thousands of new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The decision defied growing U.S. criticism of Israel’s settlement policies and raised tensions with Palestinians at a time of rising violence in the territory.

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