The war drums in Israel were being heard Friday in New York City as police stepped up security at synagogues and other Jewish institutions.
The NYPD has received no intelligence that the Israeli showdown with militant Hamas in Gaza could result in a local attack, sources said.
But as a precaution, extra patrol cars were dispatched to the city’s biggest Jewish congregations and extra officers were deployed in Jewish neighborhoods, sources said.
In Jerusalem, air raid sirens sounded for the first time since the crisis began, signaling a possible Hamas rocket attack.
There were unconfirmed Israeli media reports that at least one Hamas rocket fired from Gaza some 50 miles away landed north of the holy city.
Militants have already fired several rockets at the coastal city of Tel Aviv since the crisis erupted Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces massed on the Gaza border for a possible invasion.
Israeli attacks on densely packed Gaza have claimed 24 lives, including five children, and left 200 wounded, the Palestinians said.
The Israeli Defense Force called up 16,000 army reservists and engaged in a little bit of psychological warfare by distributing photos of armored vehicles already parked on the border.
Hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holed up with his advisers in the heavily-fortified Kirya government compound in Tel Aviv.
“We did not choose to escalate the situation in the south. It was a decision of the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the terror groups,” Netanyahu said. “We are ready to expand the operation as necessary in a significant manner.”
Military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich warned that could include “a ground operation” and they could call up an additional 14,000 reservists if necessary.
Israel and Hamas have maintained an undeclared truce since the Israelis’ last invasion of the Palestinian territory four years ago.
But after the Israelis left, Hamas militants resumed firing rockets across the border. And the Israelis began retaliating with strikes on militant strongholds.
The sudden rush to increased violence began after the Israelis assassinated Hamas’ military chief on Wednesday and launched a punishing air assault aimed at crippling the militants’ rocket-launching ability.
The Palestinians accused Netanyahu of creating a crisis to improve his reelection chances and militants launched a fierce counterattack, firing on Tel Aviv — Israel’s most densely populated city — for the first time in years.
No injuries were reported in Tel Aviv, but the militants drew blood further south with a rocket attack that left three dead and an apartment building in ruins.
Also, a Reuters employee was slightly wounded when his car was hit by a Palestinian anti-tank weapon near the Gaza border. And three Israeli soldiers were injured when a mortar hit their vehicle near the border.
One Israeli air strike flattened a building near the home of Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh.
On Friday, Israel suspended its attacks while Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil made a surprise visit to Gaza. But it turned out to be just a short lull.
“Israel stood by the temporary ceasefire that was agreed upon during the Egyptian prime minister's visit to Gaza,” said Netanyahu spokesman Ofir Gendelman. “Hamas broke it and launched rockets.”
While most Israelis appear to have set aside their fractious politics in the face of the latest threats, in the Israeli Arab towns of Umm al-Fahm and Qalansuwa hundreds demonstrated against Netanyahu and waved Palestinian flags.
Dozens more opposed to the Israeli offensive were arrested at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israeli Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon made no mention of the internal dissent and told Israel Radio that hostilities would end only when Hamas agreed to a long-term ceasefire.
"We will wait and see when Hamas understands the message, and if the message has not been delivered through the aerial action, we will expand the operation," Yaalon said.
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