TEL-AVIV, November 18 (RIA Novosti) – Palestinian militants resumed rocket attacks on Israel on Sunday after a night calm, firing several rockets and injuring an Israeli citizen, the Israeli army and health officials said.
“Three rockets fell in Israel, four rockets were intercepted and one rocket fell in Gaza, failing to reach Israel,” an Israeli army spokesman said.
A total of nine rockets fired by Gaza militants have hit Israel since early Sunday. One rocket hit the roof of a four-storey house in the southern town of Ashkelon, slightly injuring one Israeli citizen while four other Israelis had to seek psychological aid.
About 500 Palestinian rockets have hit Israel since the Israeli army launched an offensive against Gaza militants on Wednesday. For the first time, Gaza militants fired rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday, killing Hamas military chief Ahmed al-Jabari and attacking hundreds of rocket-launching sites, ammunition depots and “terrorist” cells that belong to radical Islamist groups operating in Gaza, primarily Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
In a sign of further escalation, the Israeli cabinet has authorized the military to mobilize up to 75,000 reservists in anticipation of a possible ground offensive on Gaza. Two elite army brigades have completed the preparation to enter the Palestinian enclave “if necessary,” according to the military.
