Israel Defense Forces tanks stationed near the Israeli-Gaza border on March 27, 2019. Photo: Dudi Modan/Flash90.

The Israeli military is massing ground forces on the border with the Gaza Strip in an effort to thwart possible terrorist infiltration attempt from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.

Early Tuesday morning, the IDF assassinated Baha Abu al-Ata, commander of the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad. Since then, southern Israel has been blanketed by rocket fire from Gaza, with warning sirens sounding as far away as Tel Aviv, in the center of the country.

The IDF conducted a number of retaliatory strikes in Gaza throughout the day as the rocket launches persisted.

According to the Israeli news site Walla, the IDF is moving armored forces and infantry units to the border area. Furthermore, senior reserve officers are being sent to the Southern Command headquarters.

The major concern, Walla reported, is that terrorist groups will attempt to breach the border and attack nearby communities. The IDF is deploying its forces around these communities in a bid to preempt any such attack.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said on Tuesday, “We are preparing for further escalation and every scenario.”