(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121118-gaza-bombing-123a.photoblog600.jpg)Ahmed Zakot / ReutersSmoke rises over Gaza after Israeli strikes on Sunday.By NBC News staff and wire reportsUpdated at 6:45 a.m. ET: TEL AVIV, Israel - Israel was prepared to substantially broaden its operation in the Gaza strip, the country's prime minister said on Sunday.
"The Israel Defense Forces have attacked more than 1,000 terror targets in the Gaza Strip," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. "We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the terrorist organizations and the Israel Defence Forces are prepared for a significant expansion of the operation."
He gave no specifics and made no mention of the possibility of a ground offensive.
Also on Sunday, at least one rocket fired from Gaza was shot down by Israel's Iron Dome air shield, witnesses and officials said. Israeli officials told NBC News that there was one rocket fired at the country's commercial capital, Tel Aviv. Previous reports had put the number of rockets at two.
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