Army Says Islamic Jihad Fired Iranian Mortars During Ceremony For Oron Shaul

Jerusalem, 3 January, 2018 (TPS) -- Islamic Jihad was ‘most likely’ behind rocket fire at the Sha’ar Hanegev and Sdot Hanegev regions during daylight hours on December 30, the IDF said Wednesday after completing its investigation into the incident.

Three standard military  mortars of Iranian origin were fired from northern Gaza as as the family of Sgt. Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 whose remains are still held by Hamas, held a ceremony marking what would have been his 24th birthday.

The incident was the first time that rockets have been fired from Gaza during daylight hours since the 2014 conflict.

The IDF’s investigation also revealed that the rockets fired in the incident were identical to standard military mortars of Iranian origin fired by Islamic Jihad at an IDF post on the border with Gaza on November 30.

The IDF said earlier this week that “the grave incident proves that Iran via radical terrorist organizations is trying to deteriorate the situation in the region and could lead to an escalation in the Gaza Strip after years of quiet.”

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman revealed in a TV interview on Saturday, prior to completion of the IDF investigation, that the mortars were of Iranian origin. During the interview, Liberman said that while Hamas remained dettered it had lost its deterrence against “radical Salafist groups supported by Iran.”