Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip on Sunday night was exceptional. The air force attacked a relatively large number of targets in the heaviest offensive since the end of the last Hamas-Israel war two years ago.

Neither Israel nor Hamas have said exactly what was attacked, though both sides presumably know. It’s reasonable to assume that aside from considerations of deterrence, Israel decided to seize a tactical opportunity to deprive Hamas of operational assets. The launch of a rocket at Sderot by a Palestinian terrorist group provided sufficient justification for doing so.

Despite the magnitude of the assault, Israel clearly made an effort to avoid hitting civilians. Palestinians reported that one person was lightly wounded and a few others suffered from shock. Therefore, it seems Hamas feels under no obligation to respond. For now, both sides would apparently still prefer to avoid another large-scale conflict.

One question that remains unanswered is what influence the new defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, is having on Israel’s policy. Under his predecessor, Moshe Ya’alon, the policy-setting troika comprising the prime minister, defense minister and Israel Defense Forces chief of staff were in fundamental agreement. Senior defense officials concurred with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in wanting to avoid another war in Gaza, especially another ground war, and in believing that ousting the territory’s Hamas-run government was not worth the risks.

Read the full article at Haaretz.