Palestinian terrorists operating out of the Gaza Strip Thursday fired a missile that landed in the northern part of the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon. The missile traveled over 10 miles to hit its target, marking the furthest distance Gaza-based terrorist missile crews have managed to strike inside Israel.
The missile used in the attack was a Katyusha model popular with Lebanon's Hizballah terrorist militia. Military officials believe it was provided to the Palestinians by Iran.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev later reiterated that with such weapons in their arsenal, Gaza terrorists are now able to directly threaten some 250,000 Israeli civilians.
In a report released on Thursday, Israel's National Security Council urged the government to approve military actions that would eliminate the Gaza rocket threat before it becomes worse.
Three other short-range rockets were fired on Thursday at the battered southern Israel town of Sderot. One rocket scored a direct hit on a family home, resulting in a number of people being treated for shock.
Israeli forces responded to the rocket fire with a series of aerial strikes on terrorist positions in Gaza that left at least nine Palestinians dead.