Terror Attacks in Israel Killed 7

A series of attacks in southern Israel has left at least 7 dead and dozens of others wounded, prompting a quick retaliation by Israeli forces, who have killed a senior militant leader.

CRI's Jerusalem correspondent Xiaoyu has more.

The series of 5 attacks occurred over the course of an hour during lunch on Thursday.

The attacks have included the shooting of a bus and 2 anti-tank missiles fired toward private cars.

At least 7 have been killed, with dozens more Israelis wounded.

It's believed the militants infiltrated Israel by first going through tunnels from the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula, and then into Israel itself.

Just hours after the attacks, the Israeli air force struck back at targets in Gaza, killing at least six, including a senior commander in the Popular Resistance Committee, Kamal Abu al-Nairab.

Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak says the military operation may be expanded if necessary.

"The Israeli army will continue to operate in full force to defend lives and borders against the continued terrorist attacks. We will not always succeed in preventing such attacks. The Israeli military is already taking action against the head of the Committees in Gaza, and if necessary the operation will be expanded."

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, is denying responsibility for the attacks.

The attacks took place about 20 kilometers north of the southern resort city of Eilat, where many Israelis are taking their summer vacation.

Senior Israeli analyst Raanan Gissin tells CRI that an escalation of violence along the border is against the interests of both Israel and Egypt.

"We see it as a serious escalation. There's no doubt that we are conducting coordination with Egypt, the system has been working since we signed the peace agreement in 1979. We do hope that the Egyptians will take necessary actions to prevent the reoccurrence of terrorist attacks because it serves the interest of Egypt not only ourselves, to prevent Sinai from a beautiful tourist resort area into a major terror area."

Israeli forces are still doing searchs, looking for any more militants who may have escaped or are planning more attacks.

The Israeli military estimates that between 15 to 20 militants were involved in the initial attack.

For CRI, this is Xiaoyu from Jerusalem.