Israel will act firmly against terrorists firing rockets from Gaza at southern Israel, and Hamas, which bears responsibility, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon vowed on Wednesday, during a ceremony at an officer's training base in the South.
Addressing newly graduated officers, Ya'alon said, "The reality you will encounter in the Middle East as commanders in the IDF is turbulent, evasive, and it demands that al of us be open to changes, and to understand the depth and significance [of the changes]."
The air force bombed seven targets in the Gaza Strip late Tuesday in response to three rocket attacks against southern Israel. The Iron Dome anti-rocket battery intercepted 2 rockets south of Ashkelon, and a third fell in open territory in southern Israel. Targets in Gaza that were hit by the air force included five underground rocket launchers, and two terrorist facilities that were used as weapons depots.
A number of the targets hit in Gaza belonged to Hamas, a senior security source said. "This is exactly the issue of sovereignty. Those who are held responsible are the ones seen as the state [that rules over the territory from which attacks on Israel are launched]."