MIDDLE EAST - The Never-Ending War, Major Escalation

"Mideast tensions escalate in cycle of retribution for teen killings" PBS NewsHour 7/7/2014

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Now to the Middle East, where there has been a major escalation of tensions just in the last few hours.  It follows days of unrest sparked by the deaths of three Israeli teens and a Palestinian teenager.  Three Israeli suspects in the killing of the Palestinian teen confessed to the crime today.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned the teen’s father and vowed the killers would be brought to justice.  Tonight, Hamas fired dozens of rockets into Israel, claiming revenge for Israeli airstrikes overnight which they say killed six of its members.

A short time ago, I spoke to Josef Federman, whose story covering — who has been covering a story for the Associated Press.

Josef, thank you for talking with us.

Bring us up to date on what is going on.  What is each side doing?

JOSEF FEDERMAN, The Associated Press:  Well, it’s been a pretty busy day here.

Things are heating up in Southern Israel along the Gaza border.  Gaza militants have fired about 100 rockets today into Israel or at Israel.  Israel has responded with some limited airstrikes earlier in the day.  Now, the rocket fire heated up, really intensified this evening.  There was a barrage of nearly 50 rockets after nightfall.

Some of them flew — or they set off alarms deep inside of Israel, about 50 miles away from the border, reaching almost the outskirts of Tel Aviv.  So this is seen as a bit of an escalation.  Israel hasn’t responded yet to this latest barrage, but we’re expecting a pretty long night.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  How is this different from what normally has been taking place there?

JOSEF FEDERMAN:  Well, most of the time, the rocket fire is pretty limited to — when there are attacks — and there are periods when it’s quiet altogether — but usually it’s limited to one or two or a handful of rockets that are fired at very short distances into open areas.

Now we are seeing just an intensity that we haven’t seen for several years, where it’s dozens and dozens each day.  The distance that they’re flying is a lot further and many of them are reaching populated areas.