A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses overnight, the military says.

Sirens had sounded in central Israel. Preceding the sirens by some three minutes, an early warning was issued to residents, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 38 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

The Israeli Air Force struck over 75 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says.

The IDF says the targets included terror operatives, rocket launchers, buildings used by terror groups, weapon depots, and other infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the military says ground troops killed several operatives across Gaza and destroyed other Hamas sites.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met this morning with Maj. Gen. David Zini, who Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed as the next Shin Bet head yesterday.

In a statement, the military says that Zamir decided that Zini would end his service in the IDF in the coming days.

"The chief of staff expressed appreciation to Maj. Gen. Zini for a significant and long combat service," the IDF says.

"The chief of staff clarifies that any dialogue between IDF servicemembers and the political echelon must be with approval of the chief of staff!" the statement adds, after Zamir was caught off guard by Netanyahu's appointment and he was not consulted ahead of the announcement.

Zini is currently the head of the IDF Training Command and General Staff Corps. Normally, appointing an active duty general to a role outside the military would have required the chief of staff's input.

Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza border community of Mefalsim.

The IDF says it is investigating.

One rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel a short while ago was intercepted by air defenses, the military says.

The IDF says it struck 15 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon last night, including in the south of the country and the eastern Beqaa Valley.

Ahead of one of the strikes, in the village of Toul, the military issued an evacuation warning.

The IDF completed a multi-front war simulation exercise this week, the military says.

The IDF says it practiced the continuous functioning of the military and actions to defend "critical components" during military activity.

"The exercise was intended to make coordination between the various arms and bodies in an emergency more accurate, with the aim of improving the rate and quality of rapid responses to the various scenarios during sudden events," a statement says.

Several armed Palestinians, some of them Hamas operatives, who were spotted next to humanitarian aid trucks in the central Gaza Strip early this morning were targeted in a drone strike, the military says.

In response to a query by The Times of Israel, the IDF says that it targeted the gunmen after identifying them near the trucks, adding that "we emphasize that the aid was not hit as a result of the strike."

Hamas claimed that the targeted gunmen were "members of the aid security and protection teams... who were performing purely humanitarian tasks," and that six were killed in the strike.

A military source denies Hamas's allegation that the targets were local security, saying "this is a false and unfounded claim."

"This is another example of the risk and the cynical use by terror organizations in the Gaza Strip of civilians and humanitarian aid infrastructure that enters the area. The IDF will allow humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, while making every effort to ensure that the humanitarian aid does not reach terror organizations," the IDF adds in its response.

A Palestinian attempted to stab troops at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron a short while ago, the military says.

Troops "neutralized" the assailant, the army adds.

The Israeli Air Force struck over 100 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says.

The targets included a launcher used to fire a rocket at southern Israel yesterday afternoon. Other targets included terror operatives, buildings used by terror groups, tunnels, and other infrastructure, the IDF says.

Additionally, the military says ground forces killed several operatives and destroyed booby-trapped buildings, tunnel infrastructure, anti-tank launch posts, and other sites used by terror groups.

The IDF says it is investigating after a drone strike it carried out last night in southern Gaza's Khan Younis reportedly killed nine children.

According to Palestinian media, the strike hit a home in Khan Younis, killing nine children of the same family, all under the age of 12. The father of the family and one of the children, 11, were seriously wounded. The mother Alaa Najjar, a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, was on duty at the time of the strike.

In response to the reports, the IDF confirms it carried out a strike in Khan Younis, saying it targeted several suspects identified at a building close to where ground troops were operating.

"The Khan Younis area is a dangerous combat zone which the IDF ordered civilians to evacuate for their safety before the start of the troops' operation," the military says, referring to its warning on Monday,

"The claims about harm to uninvolved [civilians] are being looked into," the IDF adds.

An IDF soldier was seriously wounded in an altercation with another soldier in the northern Gaza Strip last night, the military announces.

The Military Police has launched an investigation into the incident, the findings of which will be sent to the Military Advocate General for examination.

The soldier served with the Nahal Brigade's 931st Battalion. He was taken to a hospital and his family was notified.

A ballistic missile has been launched from Yemen at Israel, the military says.

Sirens are expected to sound in the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea in the coming minutes.

The IDF says it is working to shoot down the projectile.

Sirens are sounding in the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea following the launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen.

The IDF says it is working to shoot down the projectile.

A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses a short while ago, the military says.

Sirens had sounded in the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea. Preceding the sirens by about five minutes, an early warning was issued to residents, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 39 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

The soldier involved in last night's altercation with another troop in the northern Gaza Strip has been suspended from combat service, the military says.

He will remain suspended until the end of an investigation into the incident, during which another soldier was seriously wounded. Afterward, a decision will be made regarding his matter.

According to a preliminary probe, the soldier beat his comrade with a kettle, including hitting him over the head, at an encampment in north Gaza. The circumstances are under investigation.

The Military Police has also launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

During a visit to the Gaza Strip this morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the fighting is "not a forever war."

"We are intensifying our activity in accordance with the orderly plan. Hamas is under tremendous pressure; it has lost most of its assets and its command and control," Zamir says during a tour of Khan Younis with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor.

"We will activate all of our tools so that we can return the hostages home, defeat Hamas, and dismantle its rule," he says.

"This is not an endless war," Zamir says, "we will act to shorten it per the fulfillment of its objectives."

"We seek to achieve a decisive victory, and we will do so with determination, thoroughness, and while ensuring the safety of our forces," he adds.

The IDF says it aims to occupy 75 percent of the Gaza Strip’s territory within two months as part of its new offensive against the Hamas terror group.

When the major ground offensive is launched, the Palestinian population will be pushed into three small zones in Gaza: a new “safer zone” in the Mawasi area on the southern Strip’s coast, where Israel previously declared a “humanitarian zone”; a strip of land in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat, where the IDF has not operated with ground forces; and the center of Gaza City, to which many Palestinians returned during the ceasefire earlier this year.

According to the IDF’s current estimates, some 700,000 Palestinians are residing in the Mawasi area, 300,000-350,000 are in central Gaza, and around one million are in Gaza City.

This means that Gaza’s 2 million population will be pushed into an area amounting to just 25% of the Strip when the IDF launches its expanded ground operation.

The IDF will then capture, clear of Hamas infrastructure, raze most buildings, and hold for the foreseeable future the rest of Gaza, including all of Rafah, Khan Younis, and the towns north of Gaza City.

According to the IDF’s plans, it should take just two months to capture 75% of Gaza from the moment the operation goes ahead. Currently, the military is in control of about 40% of the Strip’s territory.

Read more here: IDF aims to capture 75% of Gaza Strip in 2 months in new offensive against Hamas https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-aims-to-capture-75-of-gaza-strip-in-2-months-in-new-offensive-against-hamas/