The Israel Air Force on early Tuesday morning  struck a terrorist cell which was in the process of planting an explosive device near the border with Central Gaza, the IDF confirmed.

The IDF also said that the IAF had confirmed a direct hit on the terrorist target. This was the third airstrike in twenty four hours. The third airstrike followed a continuing escalation between Israel and Gaza terror groups.

Only hours before the latest airstrike, terror groups fired two rockets, one at Sderot and one into the Ashkelon Regional Council area. Neither rocket caused casualties. Read more.

Barak responds to attack on Israel-Egypt border fence which kills Israeli workman, 2 terrorists: “New Egyptian president must clear Sinai of terror”; roads in area re-opened, residents allowed to leave homes.

The IDF  on Monday ruled out the possibility that there may be additional terrorists in Israel, while Egyptian security forces were searching Sinai for a third terrorist thought to be involved in an attack along the border with Egypt Monday morning. An Israeli workman and and at two terrorists were killed in the attack.

The IDF re-opened roads in the area and lifted the order for residents to stay at home after confirming that the threat of additional terrorists in Israel had been removed.

Responding to the attack, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel expected the new president in Egypt – whoever it is – to retake control of the Sinai Peninsula and to clear it out of terrorist infrastructure. Read more.

On the eve of the third round of talks between Iran and the world powers expected to begin Monday in Moscow, Israeli officials urged the international community to better impress upon Tehran that they will face military action if their nuclear march is not stopped.

“Our position is that the international community needs to do three things for the talks to be successful,” an official said Sunday. “Make its demands crystal clear and tied to a clear timeline for implementation, ratchet up the economic and diplomatic pressure, and augment that pressure by making clear there is a credible military option.” The official, reflecting a position that has been percolating for weeks in Jerusalem, said there is a sense the Iranians are not yet convinced that when the US or others say that “all options are on the table,” they actually mean it. Read more.

Bipartisan group of 44 US urge Obama to change tack on Iran unless it agrees to immediate steps to curb enrichment activity.

A bipartisan slate of 44 US Senators urged US President Barack Obama to reconsider talks with Iran unless it agrees to immediate steps to curb its enrichment activity.

“Steps it must take immediately are shutting down of the Fordow facility, freezing enrichment above 5 percent, and shipping all uranium enriched above 5 percent out of the country,” said the letter sent Friday to Obama and initiated by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).

The Fordow facility is a reinforced enrichment plant revealed in 2009 by western powers based on information from  their intelligence agencies. Read more.