TEL AVIV, August 17. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces has expanded the operation in the area of Khan Yunis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, the army's press service said.

According to the statement, the servicemen "dismantled dozens of Hamas terrorist infrastructure sites", as well as eliminated a number of armed radicals in the area.

In addition, the Israeli Air Force attacked a radical squad near Khan Yunis on Friday that was firing shells into Israeli territory, the press service added. Troops also "continued operational activity" in the Tel al-Sultan area west of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where soldiers "eliminated armed terrorists" and struck several terrorist targets throughout the day, the army said.

In the central Gaza Strip, the Israeli navy "struck numerous terrorists" from the sea, while ground forces destroyed several radical military sites in the area, the press service added.