Two rockets were fired into Israel by Lebanese militants, prompting rocket sirens in towns along the border late Monday, including in the cities of Kiryat Shmona and Metula.

Israeli artillery returns fire – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson Unit

Following the rocket attack, reports stated that one rocket had fallen in an open area and that the IDF was retaliating at the rocket launching source.

IDF Artillery is returning fire into Lebanon after firing rocket into Upper Galilee a few minutes ago.

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According to the English-language Daily Star, the rockets were launched in the vicinity of Jarmaq, not far from the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Witnesses reported dozens of shells landing on the river’s banks near Jarmaq and Ayshieh. Lebanese authorities are reportedly searching for the perpetrators of the rocket fire.

Earlier in the evening, central Israel and the Shfela region came under fire. Sirens could be heard in Rishon Lezion, Savyon, Bat Yam, Holon, Ramle and other Tel Aviv suburbs.

The Iron Dome intercepted one rocket over the region.

Gaza border communities also came under heavy fire Monday but no damages or injuries were reported.

As of 6:30 p.m., 111 rockets had been fired into Israel since midnight. 97 rockets landed and 13 were intercepted by the Iron Dome.

The IDF said that they had attacked 65 terror sites.

On Monday morning, despite Palestinian reports of progress in efforts to attain a truce to halt nearly two months of fighting, rocket and mortar fire continued to pound the Israeli communities on the Gaza frontier

A number of projectiles landed in the Eshkol Regional Council, which Gaza militants have targeted regularly throughout Operation Protective Edge. There were no reports of injuries in Monday morning’s attacks on the Eshkol area. A chicken coop sustained some damage.

Sirens also sent people running for shelter every few minutes in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council and Sderot. A number of rockets were fired at the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council as well.

The IDF said rocket sirens which sounded about 8:30 a.m. on Monday in Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Ra’anana and Ramat HaSharon were false alarms.

Earlier on Monday morning, sirens went off in Ashkelon and Ashdod, breaking a 5-hour lull in the fighting.

The IDF announced that it had attacked 35 terror sites overnight and killed two militants responsible for rocket fire on Israel. Palestinian media reported that three people had been killed in overnight IDF strikes bringing the death toll in Gaza to 2,120 during Operation Protective Edge.

In a separate development, media reports earlier on Monday had indicated that progress had been made in cease-fire talks in Cairo between the Palestinians and Israel.

Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported that developments had been made that could clear the path for an agreement to be signed as soon as Monday morning.

According to Ma’an, Khaled al-Batsh, an Islamic Jihad official, said “a cease-fire is supposed to be signed within a few hours.”

The deputy leader of the Islamic Jihad, Ziad Nakhleh, told Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV that “we have decided a zero-hour, and it will happen within a few hours.”

Hamas official Osama Hamdan said “there has been positive and fast progress in cease-fire talks in the past few hours.”

View original Jerusalem Post publication at: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Rocket-sirens-sound-in-central-Israel-372280