Incendiary balloon launched from West Bank ‎discovered in central Israel

An incendiary attack balloon was discovered Monday night in an ‎industrial zone in central Israel, the ‎police said. ‎

This was the first time a Palestinian airborne ‎incendiary device has been detected this deep inside ‎Israeli territory.‎

Over the last six months, balloons and kites carrying firebombs or explosives have been regularly launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel, sparking countless fires and causing extensive damage.

The balloon was found in the Ligad Technology ‎Park in Modiin by passersby. Police sappers were called to the ‎scene and were able to neutralize the device safely. ‎

Modiin, located some 35 kilometers (22 miles) ‎southeast of Tel Aviv, has several neighboring ‎Palestinian villages.‎

A police source said that the incident was in line ‎with several similar cases indicating Palestinians ‎in the West Bank may be trying to mimic the attacks from Gaza and launch incendiary ‎balloons into central Israeli cities.‎

Meanwhile, incendiary kites and balloons sent over the Israel-‎Gaza Strip border sparked eight fires in ‎border-adjacent communities over the holiday ‎weekend, causing moderate damage. ‎

The Palestinian arson ‎terrorism campaign has so far decimated nearly ‎‎10,000 acres of ‎‎‎forest ‎and farmlands on the Israeli ‎side of the ‎‎‎border, causing ‎‎‎millions of dollars in ‎damage to the area.

Environmental experts ‎say it ‎‎‎‎will take at least 15 years to rehabilitate ‎the ‎‎‎‎vegetation and wildlife that have been destroyed.‎