Israel views Hamas as responsible for every rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.
Netanyahu, in his first public comments on the rocket fire from Gaza Tuesday evening, said that the IDF responded immediately to the fire, in line with the government's policy.
“We will do everything needed to preserve the quiet attained through Operation Protective Edge,” he said, referring to last summer's operation in Gaza.
Netanyahu's comments came at the start of a meeting in Jerusalem with visiting Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
The prime minister's comments echoed the senitments of Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who said earlier Wednesday that Israel has no intention of ignoring rocket fire on its citizens. Ya'alon added that "elements in Islamic Jihad" carried out Tuesday's attack on Gan Yavne.
"If there won't be quiet in Israel, Gaza will pay a very heavy price, which will cause all who plan to challenge us to regret their actions," Ya'alon said. "Hamas is advised to restrain any attempt to fire rockets at Israel or provoke it, otherwise we will be forced to
act with greater power. I would not advise anyone to test us," he warned.
"We see Hamas as being responsible for what happens in the territory of Gaza, and we will not tolerate any threat to residents of the South," he said.
Several hours after the rocket was fired, the Israel Air Force responded by attacking four targets in the Gaza Strip . The IDF identified the targets, in the southern part of the coastal enclave, as terror infrastructure.