Israeli-Palestinian violence escalates with air strikes, rocket fire and ‘suicide attack’

GAZA militants bombarded southern Israel with rockets and mortars yesterday, drawing retaliatory Israeli air strikes in an escalation of the worst hostilities in the area since Israel went to war in the Palestinian territory two years ago.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed decisive action against militants and suggested that future operations would not be surgical.

“No state would tolerate ongoing rocket fire on its cities and its citizens, and the state of Israel obviously will not tolerate it,” he said.