birthday balloons and inflated latex condoms into Israel, relying on the gentle Mediterranean coastal breeze to push them across the border. Silly as they may sound, these weapons are no joke.

The weapons are relatively simple contraptions – helium balloons that often look like children’s birthday party decorations, attached to explosives or devices that are pre-emptively lit on fire.

The Israeli air force attacked two sites in Gaza on Sunday, the army said, after Gazans clashed with forces on the border and launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel. Israeli "fighter ...