Ben Gurion Airport 'operating normally' as rockets spotted over Tel Aviv

The IDF Home Front Command has also instructed civilians within 40 km. (25 miles) of the Gaza Strip to stay near protected areas.

Residents of areas adjacent to the Palestinian enclave were ordered to remain in bomb shelters until further notice.

Red Alerts were also in place across Central Israel as residents were urged to take shelter in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon LeTsiyon.

Sources in Hamas told Lebanon’s pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar newspaper earlier on Wednesday that “the response will be unified through the joining military of the resistance factions, and it will teach the occupation [Israel] a great lesson, and the responses will not be limited to a specific faction or a specific front, but rather all fronts are nominated to participate in the response.”

Thousands of Israelis living near the Gaza border have been evacuated since Tuesday’s targeted killings, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant having approved the move in anticipation of rocket fire.

Evacuees are being bused to hotels, hostels and guest houses throughout Israel, where they will be able to stay for three days, with the possibility of an extension depending on the security situation.

Many other Gaza-area residents have temporarily relocated to other parts of the country on their own initiative.

The escalation comes after Israeli forces killed three top Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday morning.