2-Jul-14: Wednesday rockets and mortar attacks on southern Israel

The evening is wearing on. Further to our post of a couple of hours ago ["2-Jul-14: About those mortars fired into southern Israel this afternoon..."], it's now reported that two rockets were fired on the southern coastal city of Ashkelon. 

Ynet says one was intercepted in mid-air and brought down by the Iron Dome system. The second fell in an open area causing no significant damage. The Jerusalem Post, quoting military sources, says there were two Iron Dome intercepts tonight: one over Ashkelon and the other in the Sdot Negev region.

The Wednesday fire has been substantial. The IDF says there have already nine incoming mortars from Gaza, fired at various parts of southern Israel. All appear to have landed in open areas in the Eshkol region. The Israel Air Force struck a mortar launcher in the southern Gaza Strip some hours ago, that had been used to fire shells into Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, which is located in the Eshkol region.

The same Ynet report says there appear to be plans in the air for a wider military strike, most likely focused on Hamas in Gaza.

IDF reservists reported receiving calls from the army to update their personal details including telephone number, address, and bank account numbers. While these check-ups from the army are routinely conducted for most reservists every several months, calls made during the severe escalation in Israel has given rise to speculation that reserve forces could be called up for a ground operation. [Ynet]

Update 9:15 pm via Ynet: Yet another rocket was fired from Gaza, crashing and exploding in the Eshkol region; no injuries and no significant damage. There have been more than twenty such attacks since this morning [Times of Israel].