Rockets, airstrikes come before truce

Palestinian militants fired 50 rockets and mortars toward Israel on Wednesday, and Israel responded with airstrikes in Gaza just hours before a truce was to take effect, illustrating how fragile the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas would be. In another diplomatic initiative, Israel called on neighboring Lebanon to open peace negotiations — an overture that was quickly rejected by Lebanon’s prime minister.

By: By Matti Friedman, The Associated Press , The Jamestown Sun