WarSclerotic

After Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired missiles at Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and even as far north as Hadera, Pardes Hanna, Binyamina and Or Akiva on Tuesday, there was no more doubt whether Israel’s current clash with Hamas had reached the next level.

It comes as no surprise that Israel’s leaders on Tuesday declared that Operation Protective Edge would last a long time, and that the option of a ground invasion into Gaza was becoming increasingly realistic. The Israel Defense Forces, in any case, received permission to call up 40,000 reservists.

Altogether, 120 missiles landed in open fields on Tuesday and 30 were intercepted by Iron Dome batteries. At 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, a missile salvo targeted Gush Dan and the Sharon region. Iron Dome intercepted five missiles, and there were no reports of injuries or damage to property. On Tuesday night, the IDF hit 160 targets in Gaza. A senior IDF official said that among the targets were 120 rocket launchers concealed underground, 10 Hamas bases and two homes belonging to senior Hamas officials. Since the onset of Protective Edge, the IDF has hit 434 targets and Iron Dome has intercepted more than 40 rockets.

Even prior to the massive rocket barrages late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a decisive statement: “We will not tolerate missile fire at our cities and communities. Therefore, I have ordered a significant expansion of IDF activities against Hamas terrorists and against the other terror organizations in the Gaza Strip. I did this only after all the attempts we made to restore calm went unanswered, and Hamas chose escalation.”

Netanyahu said Israel did not desire a war, but that “the security of our citizens and children takes precedence. We will do everything it takes to ensure that the quiet we have had here in recent years continues.”

The prime minister said, “The IDF is focusing its activities against Hamas terrorists, not against innocent civilians, while Hamas is purposefully hiding behind Palestinian civilians, and by doing so it bears responsibility when they are mistakenly harmed.”

According to Netanyahu, “From the perspective of the terrorist organizations, every part of Israel is one front, and all Israeli citizens are one target. Therefore we must stand as one, unified and certain in the justness of our cause. We are acting decisively and aggressively in order to restore the peace and quiet, so that our citizens and children can life in safety.”

Earlier Tuesday, the prime minster convened security consultations in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Shin Bet security agency chief Yoram Cohen, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and other senior defense officials. The prime minister’s directive to commanders in the field was to “conduct a methodical, ongoing, thorough and strong campaign in Gaza.”

“We must be prepared to go all the way,” Netanyahu said, “and a ground operation is also among the options.”

Ya’alon, meanwhile, vowed to exact a “very heavy price” from Hamas.

“We are preparing for a campaign against Hamas that will not end in a matter of days,” Ya’alon said, adding that Israel “entered this campaign at full force and all the options are open from our perspective — from the sea, air and ground. There is a need for resilience. The proper behavior of the population has a decisive role in our ability to avoid sustaining casualties, and the Homefront Command’s directives must be followed in regards to staying near to and entering fortified spaces.”

Israel Police Commissioner Insp. Gen. Yohanan Danino echoed the defense minister’s calls to the public to follow safety procedures during rocket attacks.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said, “Hamas has chosen escalation. The other organizations have joined it and we will use all the power we have, in varying degrees, to ensure what we consider a victory. We will exact the full price [from Hamas] for the strategic mistake it has made.”

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said: “The fight against Hamas is a fight against a radical terrorist organization, religious and Islamist that does not recognize our existence here. The fight against this organization is shared by everyone who ever wants to reach peace.”