Israel strikes Gaza militant posts after rockets fired at Israel: army

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Thursday that an aircraft and a tank had targeted two posts belonging to militants in the Gaza Strip after three rockets were launched at Israel.

Sirens sounded in Israel at various locations on a day of heightened tension following demonstrations in the coastal enclave and the occupied West Bank as Palestinians protested at US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Two rockets launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip fell short inside the Palestinian enclave earlier in the evening and a third — fired later — landed in an open area in Israel causing no casualties or damage, an army spokeswoman said.

Gaza residents said there were no casualties from the Israeli attack and that two unmanned lookout posts were hit.

A leading Palestinian group in Gaza claimed responsibility for the launches. It does not heed the call from the enclave’s dominant force Hamas to desist from firing rockets.

“In response to... projectiles fired at Israel throughout the day... an IDF tank and an IAF aircraft targeted two military posts in the Gaza Strip. The IDF holds Hamas responsible for the hostile activity perpetrated against Israel from the Gaza Strip,” an army statement said.

During the Gaza war in 2014, Israel’s Iron Dome rocket interceptor system largely protected the country’s heartland from thousands of rocket barrages fired by militants.