The Iron Dome aerial defense system fires interception missiles as rockets are launched from Gaza toward Israel, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Aug. 21, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen / File.

i24 News – At least 40 rockets were fired into Israel by Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip over the weekend, marking the most dramatic escalation in tensions between the two sides in months.

Three rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, one of which was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The second exploded in a vacant lot, while the third fell inside the Palestinian coastal enclave, according to an IDF statement.

Rocket alert sirens sounded Saturday evening in several localities in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip, warning residents of imminent aerial fire.

And in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning, the IDF counted at least 36 rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip into the Jewish state, six of which the Iron Dome intercepted.

The IDF retaliated by striking targets belonging to the Islamist terrorist group Hamas, which Israel holds responsible for any aggression emanating from the coastal enclave, with land and air strikes.

No casualties were reported by either side in the skirmishes.

In light of the recent breakout of hostilities, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi postponed a scheduled trip to the US where he was set to meet top defense officials Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, with Iran’s nuclear program at the top of the agenda.

Security experts believe that recent clashes in Jerusalem and the West Bank involving Palestinian and Israeli civilians, as well as Israeli security forces, have emboldened Gaza militant groups, with the rocket fire being used as a sign of solidarity.

“The Israeli army is ready for all scenarios,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday after an emergency security meeting.