Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system on Thursday intercepted rockets being fired at the city of Ashkelon from the Gaza Strip, which caused the Israeli military to respond and retaliate with a series of air strikes targeting the Hamas-controlled territory.
No group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for firing the rockets, which were shot down by the Iron Dome's small radar-guided missiles over Ashkelon, a coastal city inhabited by some 125,000 people 12km north of Gaza, according to Reuters.
Previously, Israel has said it holds Palestinian political group Hamas - which has ruled the besieged Gaza Strip since 2007 - responsible for all cross-border rocket fire. Israel has since imposed a blockade on Gaza, sparking what international human rights groups have called a "humanitarian crisis".
At least one missile hit a training facility for Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist movement, Hamas.
