New Delhi [India], May 9 : Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has decided to cut short his India visit due to a security update amid action by the Israel Army against members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Cohen, who arrived in India on Tuesday on a three-day official visit, will now return to Israel after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I landed a short time ago in New Delhi, the capital of India, and immediately upon landing I received a security update. In light of the events in Israel, I decided to cut short the diplomatic visit to India and return to Israel after my meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will take place today," the Israeli Foreign Minister said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement were killed by the Israeli army in an early Tuesday morning bombing in which explosions ripped through Gaza under 'Operation Shield and Arrow', The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli army began hitting targets in the Strip just after 2 am in what appeared to be a coordinated surprise attack on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement's senior leaders.
Prior to the operation, Israeli residents of areas within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of Gaza were instructed to enter or stay near bomb shelters amid fears of retaliatory attacks, as raids continued to thunder across the Strip.
According to The Times of Israel, previous strikes on Islamic Jihad leaders sparked barrages of rockets on Israeli civilians and intense battles with Israeli troops, some lasting several days.
At least 12 people including the three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement were killed in the latest air raids on Gaza Strip by Israel's military on Tuesday.
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