Israel Expands Assault On Rocket Launches In Gaza

Israeli reserve soldiers ride a bus heading to the south of the country after being called up for duty Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Enlarge Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

Israeli reserve soldiers ride a bus heading to the south of the country after being called up for duty Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israeli reserve soldiers ride a bus heading to the south of the country after being called up for duty Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

Israeli reserve soldiers ride a bus heading to the south of the country after being called up for duty Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Palestinian militants fire a rocket from the northern Gaza Strip toward southern Israel on Thursday. For the past decade, Palestinians in Gaza have been shooting short-range rockets into southern Israel. But Palestinians fired a much longer range rocket that landed just outside Jerusalem on Friday, a move seen as a major escalation.

The Two-Way

For The First Time, Rocket Fired From Gaza Hits Jerusalem

Israel’s military says it has struck more than 800 targets in the Gaza Strip, as it expands a fierce air assault responding to rocket launches from the Palestinian territory.

The military’s early Saturday count includes 180 overnight airstrikes. The campaign began Wednesday with the assassination of the ruling Hamas militant group’s military chief after days of heavy rocket fire from Gaza.

The Gaza Interior Ministry says Israeli aircraft have struck government and police compounds, smuggling tunnels and a three-story apartment building.

Militants have struck back with about 500 rockets, including one unprecedented attack aimed at the holy city of Jerusalem.

The Israeli military has also called up thousands of reservists and massed troops and armored vehicles along the border with Gaza, signaling a ground invasion could be imminent.

Article source: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/17/165331125/israel-expands-assault-on-rocket-launches-in-gaza?ft=1&f=1001

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