Following Monday's suicide bombing in Netanya and the ongoing barrage of Qassam rockets on targets in the south of Israel, it was decided to adopt a harsher response to the rocket fire. According to Haaretz, Israeli artillery fire will now be directed at built-up areas from where the rockets are being fired.
The paper added Israel would also focus attention on the Islamic Jihad network in the West Bank, which was behind the bombing.
Israeli troops arrested 14 Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank before dawn on Tuesday, Israel Radio reported.
Also in the West Bank, the Israeli army's operations against the Islamic Jihad infrastructure in Jenin will be expanded to include Tulkarem and Nablus. Israel claims that Islamic Jihad is supported by Syria and Iran, and is undermining the period of "calm."
Israel has also decided to impose a full closure on the Palestinian territories.
