The afterglow of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange has been extinguished by three large Grad missiles.
The substantial warheads from Gaza exploded near Ashdod, Gan Yavne and Beer Tuvia just a few hours ago, on Wednesday night, local time.
Even though they were not exactly targeted, they caused several Israelis to seek treatment for shock.
Parts of Israel near the Gaza strip have returned to ‘high rocket alert’, according to Israeli sources with Mossad connections.
Same sources report an IED blast damaged an Israeli Defense Forces vehicle in Gush Etzion in the West Bank. There were no casualties reported. But this is a very odd sort of incident for the West Bank, which usually hosts more personal attacks. It is eerily parallel to the tactics of opposition partisans in Afghanistan and Iraq.
With violent events from both sides of Israel, the lull is definitely over. The question is, will rocket and other attacks now ramp up to levels we saw before the Palestinians went to the United Nations to ask for a state? And will Israel try to turn the other cheek once again?
Or retaliate with full vigor.