Gaza war to continue; preparing for more scenarios: Netanyahu

Jerusalem: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that war in Gaza would be kept going on, and Israel is also preparing for scenarios in other areas, Reuters reported.

The PM made the comment as an Iranian attack is looming after Tehran vowed retaliation following an Israel attack in Damascus that killed senior Iranian commanders.

Netanyahu said that whoever harms them, they will harm them. They are prepared to meet all of Israel's security needs both defensively and offensively, he said. It was when Israeli troops and warplanes started operation in central Gaza, claimed to be targeting the infrastructure of armed Palestinian groups, the Israel PM made the comments.

Since the Iran's Damascus embassy attack by Israel, killing a senior general and six other officers of Iran, it has been bracing for a possible retaliation. Though Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel must be punished, and it shall be.

Israel's military said that civilians were not being told to be prepared but noted that Israel's defence is highly prepared for "a range of scenarios".

Meanwhile, Jerusalem has pulled most of its troops out of Gaza and is preparing for an assault in the city of Rafah, where more than a million refugees are being sheltered. When the fighting in Gaza has reached its 7th month, Israeli troops are dealing with the increasingly tense situation in the north, where forces are exchanging fire daily with Hezbollah across the Lebanon border.