For nearly a week, Israel — or most of it — has come under a heavy barrage. Along with other terrorist organizations, Hamas has been launching hundreds of rockets day in, day out. Tel Aviv is being bombarded, as are the center of the country, the Sharon Plain region and Jerusalem and the communities in its environs. Considered safe only a year or two ago, all these places now fall within the Hamas' range of fire. This organization's genetic makeup contains a religious-divine edict and total commitment to annihilating the Zionist state. Hamas has been stockpiling these weapons, which are either homemade or have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip mainly from Iran and Syria via underground tunnels, the sea, Sudan or any other possible route. Monitoring this information for years, Israel had nonetheless demonstrated restraint. Addicted to quiet, it was willing to pay a price that no other country in the world would — namely, a routinely nonstop, low-keyed trickle of rockets and mortar shells on its southern towns and communities in what is known as the "Gaza periphery." That was true as long as the fire was confined to that area.

Now that is no longer the case. The fire has spread throughout almost the entire country. In recent days, Hamas has been attempting to target Haifa in the north, barely succeeding to graze it. The lesson is clear: If you cannot defend the southern town of Sderot, it will not be before long when you are unable to defend Tel Aviv.

Since the outbreak of the current confrontation, Hamas has been trying to score an indelible operational achievement, which will allow it to return quietly to its burrows. This effort took place on a number of fronts. One of them was to mount a large hostage terrorist act through a tunnel the digging of which lasted for years. However, it was identified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence. It blew up into pieces (on July 7) on top of its occupants. The tunnel was to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists into the Israeli home front. They planned to raid a community or a military base in a bid to kill as many people as possible, try kidnapping others and then disappear. This attempt was scuttled. The following day, two offensives were mounted against kibbutz Zikim, which is located just a few hundred meters north of the Gaza Strip. A five-member Hamas navy commando detail swam ashore and charged the coastal kibbutz. Aided by drones and infantrymen, an Israeli naval force killed all members of the detail. The following day a similar attempt was made, which was also foiled.

In tandem, the rocket fire continued in full force. Hamas has been trying hard to target Dimona, the southern city that has been identified for several decades with the most iconic symbol of Israel's regional supremacy: the nuclear reactor. All the rockets fired at the city were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system, which Israel developed in cooperation with the United States. Hamas also tried breaking a taboo by firing rockets at Jerusalem. In this case, too, all rockets were intercepted. The highlight of what Hamas had hoped to achieve was to directly hit Ben Gurion International Airport, which is only a 20-minute drive from Tel Aviv. Many rockets were launched in its direction, but they all missed their mark and were intercepted over the Dan metropolitan area. On July 11, Hamas fully acknowledged that it had tried — and that it would continue to try — targeting the airport. The organization knows that a successful attack would become major headlines in world media, thus dealing a serious blow to Israel's economy, tourist industry and freedom of movement. At this stage, the Iron Dome system has the upper hand. The possibility of the infliction of damage to Ben Gurion International Airport plays a pivotal role in the considerations of the Israeli Cabinet whether to order a ground operation in Gaza so as to stop the rockets or whether to continue to hold back. The organization has also been firing at Tel Aviv for four consecutive days, but all the rockets have been intercepted above this trendy, carefree and liberal Israeli city.