The military was prepared for this round of fighting, setting a  number of Iron Dome systems in place in the south to provide maximum coverage to major population centers against rockets fired from Gaza.

Reports signal that if the rocket fire from Gaza exceeds the limit set by the IDF, a ground force incursion is a possibility. While the military expected and is prepared for a response from terrorists, there is indeed a limit to the severity of the response that will be permitted.

Senior military commanders are carefully monitoring the surgical strikes into Gaza and the response from terrorists as hundreds of thousands of southern area residents remain close to safe rooms and shelters. Officials have stated that the targeted strikes in Gaza are required to halt rocket fire that has been escalating over recent weeks; emphasizing Israel will not tolerate a return to the rocket fire into southern Israel that existed before Cast Lead.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)