Israel has killed the Hamas military chief Ahmed al-Jaabari in an airstrike. The strike comes after days of rocket fire coming from Gaza. Since the assassination both sides have escalated their operations, Israeli reservists are reportedly on standby. Although violence is nothing new to the region, today's events have highlighted the use of social media in modern warfare.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have released a Youtube video of al-Jaabari's assassination on their channel:
The IDF has also has also been using its Twitter account to offer updates and advice to their enemy. Earlier today the feed confirmed that the Israeli Navy has been bombarding "terror sites" in Gaza:
The same account was also used to issue warnings to Hamas:
Unsurprisingly, this has promoted some strong responses:
Since the beginning of the day Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Israel. What is developing now in Gaza may well be the the first serious test of Israel's relationship with Morsi's government. The Guardian is running a good feed on the events in Gaza and international responses.
The President, whose relationship with Israel was criticized by Republicans during the campaign, has been briefed by the Israeli president, Shimon Peres.
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