Israel hits Gaza targets in retaliation for rocket attack

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s military launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a rocket attack on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck three of what it called “terror infrastructures” in southern Gaza early Thursday morning.

The attack was in response to two rockets fired from Gaza the previous night that landed in open areas near the cities of Ashkelon and Netivot. No injuries or damage were reported.

“We will not compromise on the security of Israeli citizens and we will not tolerate a return to the reality of a drizzle of rocket fire,” Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Thursday, calling Hamas ultimately responsible for the attack.

A radical Islamist Salafist group called the Omar Brigades took responsibility for the rocket fire in a post on Twitter, Ynet reported. The post said the attack was in retaliation for Hamas’ killing of an Islamic State supporter in Gaza on Tuesday.

“We are continuing with our jihad against the Jews, the enemies of God, and no one will be able to deter us,” the statement said.

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