Israel’s center, south remain under heavy rocket fire

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) As Israel entered the third day of Operation Protective Edge, Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired dozens of rockets into Israeli cities and towns across the map.

Since Tuesday, Hamas and other Gaza terrorist groups have launched rockets as far as 73 miles from Gaza, targeting Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, the Haifa region in northern Israel, Jerusalem, and a nuclear reactor near the southern town of Dimona.

On Thursday morning, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted a salvo over Tel Aviv, but a piece of shrapnel struck a gas station in the southern part of the city. In a later salvo, two rockets exploded in open areas in Tel Aviv. Throughout the day, the rocket fire toward the country’s center continued sporadically.

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Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said Israel struck more than 320 Hamas targets overnight, focusing on underground tunnel networks and rocket-launching sites. That brought the total number of targets hit to 750 in three days of the massive offensive. Lerner said Israel has already mobilized 20,000 reservists for a possible ground operation into Gaza, but for the time being Israel remains focused on maximizing its air campaign.