JERUSALEM (EJP)—The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday night announced the start of Operation Protective Edge in Gaza ‘’to stop the terror Israel’s citizens face on a daily basis.”
The operation was announced on Twitter by the IDF sokesperson account.“The #IDF will respond forcefully to any threat, and will do everything in its power to protect #Israel against terror #ItMustStop,” the IDF tweeted. “Since the beginning of the year, #Gaza terrorists have fired more then 450 rockets at #Israeli civilians #ItMustStop.”
Full details on the scope and scale of the operation were not immediately available but according to an IDF spokesperson it is currently limited to “Air Force activity.”
Hamas reported that two houses and four training facilities in the Gaza Strip had been hit, according to The Times of Israel.
Rocket fire has increasingly plagued Israel’s southern communities in recent days.
More than 30 rockets were fired towards communities in southern Israel in the span of 30 minutes on Monday, and at least 80 were reportedly fired throughout the day. One Israeli was injured by shrapnel in Ashdod.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the heavy rocket fire, as Code Red sirens blared across the south, in towns and cities including Ashkelon, Kiryat Malachi, Ashdod, Netivot, and Beersheba. The Iron Dome missile defense system shot down a total of 12 rockets over Netivot and Ashdod.
It was also cleared for publication Monday that Iron Dome missile defense batteries had been deployed in strategic positions throughout Israel.
Residents of towns in southern Israel close to the Gaza Strip, like the city of Sderot, were also warned to stay 15 seconds from bomb shelters at all times.
At least 220 projectiles had been launched by Gaza-based Palestinian terrorists under a month. .
The pace and amount of attacks nonetheless increased over the course of the day, at one point reportedly reaching 30 rockets per hour and penetrating deeper into Israel than at any point since the November 2012 ‘Operation Pillar of Defense.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers held a three-hour Security Cabinet meeting Monday afternoon to discuss the option of an escalation with Gaza, and decided that for the time being Israel will act carefully, but also steadily increase military retaliation to rockets from the Gaza Strip.
a senior military source said that the IDF had called up “some 1,500 reservists who will arrive in waves. Most of them are commanders and part of the home front command.”
US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki on Monday said ‘’our view is that Israel has the right to defend itself and we certainly support that.”