Israel deploys anti-rocket batteries amid high alert

The Israeli army has deployed anti-rocket batteries of its “Iron Dome” air defense system at key points in the country to guard against retaliation by the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, Israeli media reported late Monday.

Channel 2 news, citing high-ranking military officials, said the army deployed the batteries countrywide, especially in central Israel, and tightened security on the Gaza border after Islamic Jihad threatened to avenge the killing of 10 of the group’s fighters when Israel destroyed a cross-border tunnel on 31 October Two fighters belonging to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas were also killed.

There has not yet been an official statement from the Israeli army on the issue.

On Monday, Israel also arrested a leader of Islamic Jihad in the occupied West Bank following the threat.

In October, Hamas and Fatah — Palestine’s two main political factions — signed a landmark reconciliation agreement in Cairo aimed at ending 10 years of bitter division.

If it holds, the deal will allow the Fatah-led Palestinian government in Ramallah to assume political and administrative responsibility for the Gaza Strip.

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