Israel launched a limited armored raid into the northern Gaza Strip overnight ahead of what is expected to be a full-scale invasion of the Hamas-controlled enclave, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Thursday.
The IDF said tanks and infantry struck “numerous” terror cells, anti-tank missile launching positions and other Hamas infrastructure in preparation for what it referred to as the “next stages of combat.”
“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement.
A video released by the IDF showed a bulldozer pushing through an obstacle at the border while Israeli tanks and other armored vehicles fired at targets inside Gaza.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesman, said troops on the raid also cleared land mines and destroyed spots that Hamas fighters could use to launch anti-tank missiles. He told CNN that the IDF conducted similar operations the past week but on a smaller scale.
“It was a clear-and-sweep operation intended to create better terms for ground operations,” Col. Lerner said. “We engaged the enemy, killing terrorists planning to conduct attacks against us.”
He said there were no reports of injured IDF troops from the overnight mission.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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