An Israeli Defense Forces official claims Hamas will up the ante in future conflicts with Israel by launching massive barrages of rockets in order to successfully overwhelm the Jewish state’s Iron Dome missile defense system and target sites in Israel.

The official made the comments last week via the Israeli website 0404 News, informing that the Gaza-based militant group’s volleys will be targeting population centers, public facilities, military targets, and factories.

The military noted that due to Hamas’s failure to catch the country by surprise in past wars, citing the success of the Iron Dome system, therefore they will attempt to overwhelm the air defense system in the next round of fighting by launching large torrents of projectiles. “Hamas believes that this is the only way it can actually harm Israel. We are getting ready and preparing ourselves for this possibility and how to properly deal with it,” the official said.

The military official noted that, outwardly, Hamas is attempting to make it seem it is solely interested in hitting Israeli military targets, but, in truth, its primary goal is to hit civilian population centers and power plants, “in order to maximize the effect of the attack,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hamas continues to train and build up, preparing for the next round of fighting with Israel. Last week, Hamas operatives test-fired rockets from the Gaza Strip into the sea, in order to improve the range, accuracy and impact of their missiles, according to the report.