Israel launches major military offensive against Hamas

The Israeli military launched what could be a long-term offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday - striking at least 50 sites in Gaza and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion aimed at stopping a barrage of rocket attacks against Israel.

According to sources, the military said "Operation Protective Edge" aims at striking the Islamic Hamas group and ending the intensified rocket fire that has reached deeper into Israel in recent weeks, adding to the tensions over the killing of three Israeli teenagers and the apparent revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.