JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Monday, including a barrage that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem, after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city.
The early evening attack on Jerusalem drastically escalated the already heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters that have threatened to become a wider conflict.
The Israeli military responded with airstrikes in Gaza that killed at least one person, and officials warned of an open-ended operation against the territory’s Hamas militant rulers.
“We see this as a very severe attack on Israel, an attack that will not go unanswered,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman. “Hamas bears full responsibility,” he added, saying Israel planned to deliver a ”severe blow.”
https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-jerusalem-076a9ec7e2bd9c065882c64a4ab820a1
