At least 160 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Aug. 5 and 6, according to Reuters. According to the Israeli side, most of the missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. No serious injuries were reported among Israeli civilians.

The rocket attacks against Israel were a response to Operation Dawn, launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on August 5 against the radical Islamic Jihad group. As a result of air strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 15 terrorists were killed, including Taysir al-Jaabari, leader of Islamic Jihad, news agencies reported. In turn, Palestinian authorities announced 12 dead, including a child, and more than 80 wounded.

The Israeli army said the air operation in the Gaza Strip will last a week. The IDF spokesperson told the AFP news agency on Saturday, August 6. According to him, negotiations for a ceasefire are not yet under way. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed an order summoning up to 25,000 reservists for “operational purposes”.

Iran promises Israel to pay ‘high price’ for operation

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated after the Israeli military arrested Bassem Saadi, leader of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, on Aug. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the IDF attacks in the Gaza Strip prevented an attack on Israel that the Iranian-backed group planned to carry out in response to Saadi’s arrest.

Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, an elite branch of the Iranian army), promised on Aug. 6 that Israel would “pay a heavy price” for its “new crime”.

The European Union appealed to all parties to the conflict “to the utmost restraint” to avoid its escalation and further casualties.