Netanyahu Orders IDF To Intensify Gaza Operation

Despite the desire to have a quick decisive operation for the purpose of restoring calm to the region, it is beginning to look like this could be a prolonged process. Additionally, as mentioned yesterday, the key factor in this whole operation will be the response by the surrounding terror groups (Hezbollah, etc.) and nations (Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, etc.) and of course,  the West Bank. In that regard, we have to wonder if or when their passions could become inflamed (Israeli incursion into Gaza?), during the process of this Israeli military action.  

Netanyahu Orders Army To Intensify Gaza Operation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday instructed the Israel Defense Forces to “intensify even further” the military operation against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza. “The IDF is prepared for any option,” he said, stopping short of announcing a ground invasion into the strip.

“Hamas will pay a heavy price for firing at Israeli citizens. The security of Israel’s citizens is first and foremost. Our army is strong, the home front firm and our nation united. This combination is our response to the terrorist organizations that seek to hurt us,” the prime minister said in Beersheba, where he held security deliberations with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Sami Turgeman, the IDF’s southern command chief.

“We are all united in the mission to hit the terrorists and restore calm,” Netanyahu said. “The operation will expand and continue until the rocket fire on our cities stops and quiet returns.”

The prime minister urged the public to continue following the Home Front Command’s instructions; “they save lives,” he said.

The instructions to the army came as Hamas shot rockets that reached deeper into Israel than ever before, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

A government official specified that the army would attack Hamas operatives, infrastructure and tunnels more forcefully than on Tuesday, noting that Netanyahu wanted to prepare the Israeli people for what could be a long campaign.

“It’s not ‘bang, and we’re done,’” the official added.

Over 40 rockets were launched at Israeli cities from Gaza on Wednesday, with at least eight intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.

Most attacks targeted the Gaza periphery, but at least one rocket reached near the city of Zichron Yaakov – 35 kilometers (20 miles) south of Haifa, about 120 km (75 miles) north of the Gaza Strip — lightly injuring one person.

A volley of rockets was also shot at Tel Aviv Wednesday morning, with at least two being shot down by Iron Dome

On Tuesday Gaza terrorists launched over 100 rockets at Israeli cities reaching as far as Hadera north of Tel Aviv and the capital Jerusalem, where a number of events were postponed due to worries of more rocket fire..

Hamas: We Attempted To Hit The Nuclear Reactor In Dimona

Three rockets were launched at Dimona in southern Israel on Wednesday afternoon. The Iron Dome intercepted one rocket before it could land, while two other rockets landed in open areas.

Dimona is the location of Israel's nuclear reactor. There was no indication that rockets damaged any part of the reactor.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the rockets, stating that it had been attempting to hit the nuclear reactor.

Militants from Hamas's Qassam Brigades said they had launched long-range M-75 rockets towards Dimona

Minutes later the Iron Dome intercepted rockets  in Ness Tziona , Yavne and Rehovot in central Israel as Gaza terrorists extended the range of their rockets on Operation Protective Edge's second day.

Earlier on Wednesday, two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip were intercepted over the Greater Tel Aviv area.

Israel Vows Harsher Strikes On Defiant Hamas As Conflict Enters 3rd Day

Operation Protective Edge entered its third day on Thursday. At least 80 rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday, hitting as far north as Zichron Ya’akov, bringing the total since Monday night to over 200. In the Israeli Air Force’s hundreds of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, at least 53 Palestinians have been killed and around 500 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Follow the Times of Israel’s live coverage of the ongoing crisis on our liveblog. (You can find Tuesday’s liveblog here, and Wednesday’s here.)

Hamas fires rockets at Ashkelon; Israeli gunships fire on Gaza

Hamas’s armed wing claims responsibility for firing six rockets at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon. Multiple rockets are reported to have been intercepted.

Meanwhile, Vice News reporter Danny Gold reports that Israeli warships are firing on the port in Gaza City and Palestinian gunmen are returning fire.

IDF: 234 Rockets Since Operation Began

A Jerusalem Family's Account Of The Missile Attack