Netanyahu: Israel set for wider, deeper Gaza operation

On a visit to an Iron Dome anti-missile battery, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: “We didn’t start this escalation but if it continues we are set for a broader and deeper operation.”  He spoke amid ongoing Palestinian missile attacks from the Gaza Strip – more than 70 Qassam and Grad missiles fired since Tuesday night on civilian towns and villages – and Israeli counter-terror air strikes. The last 13 rockets exploded in Ashkelon Wednesday afternoon. The prime minister also ordered another 1,700 buildings to be fortified in the area between 4.5 and 7 kms from the Gaza border to protect the population against the lengthening range of Palestinian rockets.