Israel Launches Air Attacks on Gaza Strip (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Israeli warplanes, military helicopters as well as navy boats launched strikes on Gaza Strip, targeting several positions in the besieged enclave on Thursday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from Gaza authorities as the sites were empty, Press TV reported.
The attacks were reportedly aimed at the positions of the Hamas resistance movement, including its "military complexes", as the Israeli military alleges.
Israel claims the raids were carried out in response to an earlier rocket attack from Gaza toward the city of Ashkelon in the occupied territories on Wednesday night.
This has reportedly cut short a rally by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was campaigning for the upcoming Likud leadership primary there.
Netanyahu returned to the stage on Wednesday night after some 15 minutes and tried to save face by threatening those behind the attack.
Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007.
Since 2008, Israel has waged three wars against Gaza, where two million Palestinians live under a 12-year Israeli blockade. Thousands of Gazans have been killed in each of these deadly wars.
Israeli media report that the prime minister was forced to halt his campaign event and evacuate to a bomb shelter along with dozens of his supporters in the room.
This was the second time since September that Netanyahu had to be evacuated as a result of rocket fire from Gaza during a campaign event in the south.
