Israel's military ready for week of operations against Gaza militants

Tel Aviv, Aug 6 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday they are preparing for a "week of operations" against Palestinian militants, as a barrage of retaliatory rockets were fired from Gaza overnight following the targeted killing of a Palestinian militant leader.

Air-raid sirens sounded in several towns in the south of Israel on Saturday morning, according to a military spokesperson, adding that 190 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip since Friday, reports dpa news agency.

The Israeli military said that the rockets either fell on empty land or were intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system.

Some 36 rockets fell short and landed inside the impoverished coastal strip.

Warning sirens had wailed in several Tel Aviv suburbs on Friday evening.

Israeli forces launched airstrikes against dozens of targets inside Gaza on Friday that resulted in the killing of Taisir al-Jabari, a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.

The strikes on terrorist sites were continuing on Saturday, Israel said.

According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 11 people have died since Friday, including a five-year-old child and other Islamic Jihad members in addition to al-Jabari, while some 80 people have been injured.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is classified as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the US.

According to Israel, al-Jabari was responsible for numerous attacks on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip.

Israeli military operations also continued in the West Bank, where 20 people were arrested in early morning raids on Saturday after previous operations this week.