JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli army deployed an Iron Dome missile defense system in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon after tensions spiked between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem during Rosh Hashanah.
The move came Thursday after a defense situation assessment, the military told Israeli news outlets, although they stressed that it is a purely precautionary measure.
The assessment was based on the possibility that the recent upsurge in violence on the Temple Mount and in other areas of Jerusalem, as well as the rearrest of recovered Palestinian hunger striker Mohammed Allaan, could set off a new round of rocket attacks from Gaza.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, has called for a day of rage on Friday in response to recent violence on the Temple Mount, which could lead to more rioting in Jerusalem.
