Forceful response made possible by restraint

Less than two years after the conclusion of Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel and Hamas have taken their gloves off for yet another violent confrontation, at the end of which, both parties say, calm will be restored to the south.

As far as Israel is concerned, Tuesday's escalation was unavoidable. Three weeks of exercising restraint and relaying strong messages to Hamas were met with rocket fire, mandating a forceful response.

The stalled response may have seen harsh criticism leveled at the government, but it gained the Israeli operation international legitimacy, as the world understands -- for now -- that Israel must defend itself and its citizens from the attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip.

This, of course, depends on a low casualty rate in Gaza, especially civilian casualties, and so far the Israel Defense Forces has been very careful in its choice of targets. But with over 200 rockets fired at Israel a day and the corresponding counterstrikes, there is always the potential for error.

The IDF has focused its response on Hamas targets, as well as on Islamic Jihad ones, albeit to somewhat lesser extent. The military especially seeks to neutralize rocket launchers hidden underground -- for the obvious reasons that rockets are useless without their launchers -- and it is also focused on destroying terror tunnels and command posts, as well as taking out senior operatives.

Tuesday saw several targeted assassinations take place, based on information supplied by the Shin Bet security agency, most notably that of Mohammed Shaaban, a commander in Hamas' naval forces.

Several hours later, Israeli forces thwarted a terror attack by four of Shaaban's men who attempted to infiltrate Israel by sea. This type of attack is one Hamas has been "shelving," waiting for violence to erupt and present an opportunity to carry it out.

A tunnel dug under Kerem Shalom, in the vicinity of a military post usually manned by the IDF's Bedouin Reconnaissance Unit, was also destroyed Tuesday. It may have been the same tunnel targeted by the Israeli Air Force over the weekend, and where seven Hamas operatives were killed on Sunday, and defense officials hedged that similar tunnels have yet to be discovered; saying that Hamas has several cards up its sleeve and is likely to use them in the coming days.

The rocket fire aimed at central Israel and Jerusalem did not surprise Israel. Military officials attending the cabinet meeting in which Operation Protective Edge was approved made it clear to the ministers that central Israel would come under fire. According to their assessments, Hamas has a substantial arsenal of rockets capable of traveling 80 kilometers (50 miles) and farther, and it is likely to scale the fire to maximize its caches.

Hamas claims to be in possession of a new rocket -- the self-produced R-160 -- that can reach Haifa. Israel is unaware of this projectile, but defense officials hedged that Hamas does have the ability to target areas north of Tel Aviv, and that it would most likely attempt to score a resounding achievement -- perhaps a strike that would disrupt operations at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Israel has so far refrained from a ground incursion of Gaza Strip, but it continues to amass troops near the border. The Paratroopers and Givati brigades deployed to the area will soon be joined by other units, whose operations in the Judea and Samaria and northern sectors will be taken over by the reservists called up on Tuesday.

The current scope of troops will allow the IDF to launch a limited ground incursion, but unlike during Operation Pillar of Defense, that may come sooner rather than later, to increase pressure on Hamas.

As of Tuesday, it looks as if Operation Protective Edge will last at least several days. No effective conclusion mechanism has been put in place despite the fact that the end result -- peace and quiet in southern Israel -- is clear, and both parties seek to exact the maximum toll from their rival.

This all but guarantees anxious days for the Israeli homefront, and mandate the public exercise strict discipline to minimize potential casualties. Iron Dome also helps with the latter, and has proved its impressive capabilities again and again over the past few days, which raises the question: Why had Israel refrained from making the brave decision to acquire many more batteries-

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