Cabinet instructs IDF to act against arson attacks
Israel will respond with military action to any incendiary kite or fire balloon sent into its territory from Gaza, the Cabinet decreed on Sunday at the conclusion of a special meeting held to discuss the escalation in the South.
Photo: Kobi Richter/TPS
The IDF hit dozens of Hamas targets over the weekend in the largest strike since the 2014 Gaza war, while the terrorist group fired over 100 rockets and mortars into Israel.
The meeting was held following criticism from across the political spectrum that the government is not doing enough to address the threat posed by aerial arson attacks, and that the IDF is going out of its way in order to avoid harming Hamas operatives in the hope of achieving a cease-fire.
On Saturday night, Education Minister tweeted: “The equation by which, after two months of fires and hundreds of rockets on residents of the Gaza Belt, Hamas is dictating [the terms of the] the cease-fire is a serious error. I made it clear two months ago: restraint leads to escalation,” adding “The IDF must be instructed to act with force, sophistication and thoroughness.”
Responding to Bennett and others who expressed similar sentiments, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting: “I ask that you don’t attack the IDF, the government and the Prime Minister.”
