Smoke rise from area in northern Gaza Strip, Nov. 15, 2012. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared Wednesday evening the commencement of "Operation Pillar of Defense" in the Gaza Strip, starting with the targeted killing of Hamas military wing chief Ahmed al-Jaabari, as well as a series of air strikes. An IDF spokesperson later confirmed 200 hits on targets in Gaza, including caches of long-range missiles. [Xinhua]