JERUSALEM

An investigation by the Israeli Air Force found that a "technical error" affected the activity of the Iron Dome air defense system during the escalation with Gaza early this week.

According to the Times of Israel news website, the technical error caused failure in intercepting rockets before they landed in populated areas.

The website which quoted an Israeli military statement reported that the error was fixed "immediately" by the Israeli Air Force and that the next day early on Wednesday it did not recur when more rockets were fired.

The statement also noted that the Iron Dome interception rate of rockets heading for populated areas in the last 2-day round of escalation was 90.5 percent.

The latest escalation erupted following the Tuesday announcement of the death of Palestinian detainee Khader Adnan after 86 days of hunger strike in Israeli jails.

Palestinian groups in Gaza fired barrages of rockets into Israeli areas, prompting Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Gaza.

Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system designed to intercept short-range missiles and rockets. It was developed by Israel's defense technology firm Rafael, and has been in use by the Israeli military for years.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar