First Twitter war declaration? Israel announces Gaza operation on social media site

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Published time: November 14, 2012 18:13
Edited time: November 15, 2012 03:24

The days of declaring way with a lengthy proclamation signed by a prime minister or president are in the past. Israel announced on Tuesday that it was launching a strike on the Gaza Strip with a single tweet.

A message sent from the official Twitter account for the Israeli Defense Forces’ press department confirmed that the Jewish state has started a new round of action against their adversaries in what is believed to be the first time that a military campaign has been issued through the social media site.

“The IDF has begun a widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas & Islamic Jihad targets,” reads the message from the @IDFSpokesperson account. The IDF then confirmed over Twitter that additional strikes had seriously damaged Hamas' long-range missile capabilities and an underground weapons storage facilities.

Moments later, the account confirmed that their first target, Ahmed Al-Jabari of the Ezzidine Al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas’ military wing, had been hit in the attack. In a follow-up tweet, the IDF account says they have “embarked on an operation against Hamas, an Iranian proxy responsible for terror attacks on Israel.” They then warned that Hamas operatives should “show their faces” above ground in the coming days.

Shortly after, Hamas spokesman Fauazy Brehom confirmed to NBC News that Habari, the senior most commander of the organization’s military unit, had been killed in the attack. As a result, the Ezzidine Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement saying that the IDF has “opened the gates of hell.”

“All options are on the table. If necessary, the IDF is ready to initiate a ground operation in Gaza,” the Israelis responded.

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