Police return to high alert level across country

Thousands of police officers deployed around the country will continue to focus on maintaining public order.

By BEN HARTMAN
Israeli Police (photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
Israeli Police
(photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
Following heavy rocket fire on Israel and renewed IDF strikes on Gaza, the police have returned to a high level of operational alertness across the country, Insp.-Gen. Yohanan Danino said on Wednesday.
Danino said the decision was made following a meeting with the rest of the police brass, adding that thousands of officers deployed around the country will continue to focus on maintaining public order and monitoring security threats, until the security situation improves.
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, whose ministry is in charge of the police, said during a tour of Ashdod on Wednesday that Operation Protective Edge is ongoing.
“There have already been a few cease-fires and I didn’t have faith in any of them, but I wanted to see where they could lead.”
He said the goal of the operation remains ending rocket fire on southern Israel and disarming the Strip, and that after Hamas broke the cease-fire on Tuesday with rocket fire on the South, “I was not surprised. I wasn’t optimistic and therefore we will return to striking Hamas and carrying out targeted hits.”