Israel ready to expand operation against Hamas

Jerusalem, June 29 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday said Israel is ready to expand its operation against the Islamic Hamas movement.

"Over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked multiple targets in Gaza in response to firing at Israel from the Gaza Strip," Xinhua quoted Netanyahu as saying at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting.

"We are ready to expand this operation as per need," he added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Army Radio Sunday morning that Israel should consider conquering the Gaza Strip once more, after it evacuated the lands in the 2005 disengagement plan.

Israel had been conducting operation in the West Bank territories in order to find three missing Israeli teenagers, believed to be kidnapped by the terrorists came from Palestinian side two weeks ago. Hundreds of Hamas operatives were arrested and some of the group's institutions were shut down during the operation.