Binyamin Netanyahu
Binyamin NetanyahuFlash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night instructed the defense establishment to do whatever necessary to restore the quiet to Israel’s south.

Netanyahu held a security consultation following his meeting with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron. Participating in the phone consultation were Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and the head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Yoram Cohen.

The Prime Minister instructed the participants to “act in any necessary way in order to restore calm to the south.”

The instruction came hours after Islamic Jihad terrorists fired a barrage of 60 rockets from Gaza towards southern Israel. The Israeli Air Force retaliated and struck 29 terror targets belonging to Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Gaza.

Following the onslaught, Ya'alon warned that the barrage would not go unnoticed.

"We will not ignore the barrage of rocket fire tonight," he said. "We will not allow Islamic Jihad or any other entity in the Gaza Strip to disrupt the lives of Israeli citizens. When there is no quiet in the south, we will not allow Gaza to have quiet either."

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said following the rocket onslaught that any Israeli response must include the retaking of Gaza.

"Following an attack like this - a barrage of more than 50 rockets - there is no alternative to a full reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip," he said.

The Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, issued its own warning to Israel, saying that if the IDF continues to strike in Gaza, the Islamic Jihad will fire long-range rockets at Israel.