by Lilach Shoval, Daniel Siryoti, Shlomo Cesana and Gadi Golan
Ground, air strikes destroy "very significant" Hamas targets, military official says • IDF says rocket fire most likely the work of rogue terrorist group, as Hamas is not interested in escalation • PM Netanyahu: We'll respond to every shooting forcefully.
Flares seen over the Gaza
Strip, Monday
|
Photo credit: AFP |
Israel mounted a series of strikes on
terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip Monday after a rocket fired from
northern Gaza exploded in an open area in the Hof Ashkelon Regional
Council. A siren sounded across the area seconds before the explosion,
which caused no harm.
IDF forces canvassed the area for the
projectile, and shortly afterward IDF tanks fired artillery shells at a
Hamas post in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Beit Lahiya.
A second strike was carried out by the Israeli
Air Force on Monday evening against Hamas infrastructure in the
enclave's north and south.
"The strike in Gaza followed projectile fire
at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist
group responsible for what transpires in Gaza," the IDF Spokesperson's
Unit said.
One defense official said the targets struck
Monday were "very significant" to Hamas. The official said that while
the scope of the strike was unusual, considering Israel's prudent
policy, an opportunity had presented itself to destroy these significant
targets.
In London, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said, "We will respond to every shooting. I've instructed [the military]
accordingly. This was a forceful reaction. Our policy over the past two
years has seen them become the quietest years in the south since the
[1967] Six-Day War. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot has said
so."
Coordinator of Government Activities in the
Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai wrote on social media that "Israel
will strike the terror tunnels and those hiding in them with an iron
fist."
He later added, "As long as [rocket] fire at
Israel continues, we will react forcefully. The ball is in Hamas' court.
Will they be responsible and restore stability, or will the terrorists
digging tunnels continue to make the lives of ordinary Gazans miserable?
Every foolish act will meet a forceful response."
Another defense official said it was highly
unlikely that Hamas would pursue a security escalation at this time, and
that Monday's fire was most likely the work of a rogue terrorist group.
Israel is not interested in an escalation, but it will mount a forceful response to any rocket fire, he said.
Palestinian media reported that three people
were injured in the IAF's strike and that several Hamas and Islamic
Jihad posts were severely damaged.
Hamas sources were quoted as saying the group
is not interested in escalating tensions on the border, but Hamas
spokesman Fauzi Barhoum warned that "Israel will be held accountable for
its aggression in Gaza."
While no group has claimed responsibility for
the fire, several small Salafi groups issued a joint statement saying
Monday's rocket fire followed arrests of their operatives by Hamas
security forces.
Lilach Shoval, Daniel Siryoti, Shlomo Cesana and Gadi Golan
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=40163
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