The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff held a meeting with top military officials on Thursday and told them to prepare for new fighting with Hamas as tensions have remained high since a cease-fire halted a conflict last month.
The IDF took to Twitter to announce the second night of airstrikes in response to arson balloons that were launched from Gaza. The military said it struck military compounds and a rocket-launch site that belonged to Hamas.
Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi, who is set to visit Washington this weekend, held the briefing with top military brass and warned them to prepare for a fight, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Smoke and flames are seen after an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip, June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
The military said fighter jets struck Hamas “military compounds and a rocket launch site” late Thursday in response to the balloons. It said its forces were preparing for a “variety of scenarios including a resumption of hostilities.”
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition government, just three days into its term, responded to an incendiary balloon attack from Hamas earlier this week by launching airstrikes into the Gaza Strip.
Bennett, the right-wing leader who was once former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, has said that he would approach balloon attacks with the same seriousness as if they were rockets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
