07/04/2014 10:00
Israel launches airstrikes against 'terror sites' in Gaza
Israeli warplanes struck five targets in Gaza on Saturday evening in "retaliation" for what a military spokesman called "terrorist aggression," CNN reported.
Four of the "targeted ... terror sites" were in northern Gaza while one was in southern Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the strikes were "precision" and "intelligence-based."
Dr. Ashraf Elkdra from Gaza's Shifa Hospital told CNN that there were no deaths or injuries reported as a result of the Israeli strike.
The military actions follows what the Israeli military says were about 131 rockets launched from Gaza into Israel since last month.
"It is our obligation to seek out those that wish to attack us, eliminate their capabilities and pursue them wherever they hide," Lerner said in a statement.
It also comes as a tenuous point in effects to reach an elusive peace deal between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Efforts to reach an agreement stalled last week, as Israel reneged on a scheduled release of Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinians responded by signing on to join 15 international bodies in defiance of their own commitment not to seek international recognition as a state.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated the obvious when he called both moves "not helpful."