IDF kicks off Operation Solid Rock with 50 Gaza strikes
The IDF’s Operation Solid Rock opened Sunday night with attacks on 50 Palestinian targets, 10 of them Hamas infrastructure – after more than 100 rockets hit Israel in 24 hours. Most strikes were conducted from the air – two by the Israeli Navy. The IDF describes the operation as a long-range “rolling” offensive, its stages escalating up to and including a ground incursion, for which additional reserves will be called up as needed. The length of the operation and its stages will depend on how quickly Hamas gets the message. The population has been warned it may take some days. Iron Dome batteries are in place. Beersheba University and colleges are closed and end-of-year exams postponed at outer edge of 40-km radius.