Israeli warplanes strike militant facilities in Gaza Strip

Hamas security officials in Gaza said that Israeli warplanes, which hovered over the Palestinian enclave after midnight, carried out more than 25 airstrikes in less than 10 minutes on targets operated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Xinhua reports. Eyewitnesses said they heard dozens of explosions. Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants had anticipated the intensive air raids and evacuated their bases, said the security officials. Paramedics and firefighters who rushed to the targeted areas said no injuries were reported. Israeli naval vessels also struck some of Hamas' training facilities in northern Gaza. No injuries were reported. The Israeli army said Israeli jets struck targets that belong to "terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip" early on Tuesday. The assault was launched at the end of an emergency meeting of the Israeli cabinet convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formulate a response to the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers and the rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip over the past three weeks.