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Israel Under Siege

More than 110 rockets and mortars fired into Israel in last four days, according to report

Israeli tank overlooking Golan Heights / AP
November 13, 2012

Islamic militants fired more than 110 rockets and mortars into Israeli territory over the past four days in attacks that injured eight Israelis, according to a report issued by the Israeli Defense Forces Strategic Division.

The unprovoked attacks have been dispersed throughout the Jewish state’s southern territory and have forced more than a million civilians into bomb shelters. One soldier has been critically injured in the barrage.

The Israel Project says that 898 rockets have fallen on Israel thus far in 2012—over 200 more than hit Israel in the entirety of 2011.

The Obama administration has yet to issue a statement about the attacks. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro recently expressed sympathy via Twitter to those affected by the near-constant assault.

The most recent barrage comes on the heels of a three-month calm between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Foreign policy observers fear that the renewed violence may spark a regional war that could spill into volatile neighboring countries such as Egypt and Syria.

Gaza’s ruling terrorist organization Hamas "is attempting to change the existing rules of conflict by attacking IDF [Israel Defense Forces] military targets, even within Israeli territory" the IDF noted in its report, a copy of which was obtained by the Free Beacon.

"Hamas is attempting to change the military rules of engagement by targeting Israeli territory," the military report notes. "Hamas, as the ruling authority in the Gaza Strip, is responsible."

"A tunnel consisting of explosives" was detonated on Nov. 8 near an intersection "while an IDF force was present," according to the IDF’s report. The attack injured one soldier.

The attacks have occurred along Israel’s northern border with Syria and elsewhere throughout the country.

Syria has been locked in its own civil war for months. Rebel forces are attempting to topple the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who has retaliated by ordering the systematic murder of his own citizens.

Israeli tanks in response to the aggression shelled a Syrian artillery battery that fired on the Golan Heights. This is the first time since 1973 that Israel and Syria have engaged in active hostility, a sign that the Assad regime’s instability is affecting the region’s delicate balance of power.

Terrorists have fired mortars, Qassam rockets, and Grad rockets. Such weapons are either smuggled into Palestinian territories or built from household items, according to the IDF’s report.

The "continuous arm-building up" in Gaza has been "supported by Iran," the report states.

The Israeli Air Force has carried out 14 operations in response to the attacks, including two on Tuesday.

"Living under routine rocket fire has been the unacceptable reality of approximately one million citizens," or 15 percent of the total Israeli population, the IDF report states. "It is Israel’s right and obligation to its citizens to act in self-defense."