Signs mount of possible Israeli invasion of Gaza [View all]
Source: AP-Excite
By AMY TEIBEL and KARIN LAUB
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli aircraft pummeled the rocket arsenals of Gaza militants on Friday and signaled a ground invasion might be growing near as troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers massed near Israel's southern border with the Palestinian territory.
Fighting between the two sides escalated sharply Thursday with a first-ever militant attack on the Tel Aviv area, menacing Israel's heartland. No casualties were reported, but three people died in the country's rocket-scarred south when a projectile slammed into an apartment building.
The death toll in the densely populated Palestinian territory climbed to 19, including five children according to Palestinian health officials, as waves of Israeli fighter planes and drones sent missiles hurtling down on suspected weapons stores and rocket-launching sites.
The fighting has already widened the instability gripping a region in the throes of war and regime upheavals. Most immediately, it is straining already frayed relations with Egypt, which plans to send its prime minister to Gaza later Friday in a show of solidarity with its militant Hamas rulers.
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Israeli soldiers ride on top of an armored personal carrier close to the Israel Gaza Border, southern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. Israel's prime minister says the army is prepared for a "significant widening" of its operation in the Gaza Strip. Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday that Israel has "made it clear" it won't tolerate continued rocket fire on its civilians. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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