Israel strikes Gaza in response to rocket fire: army

Israel struck a series of military targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday in response to rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli army said.

"Fighter jets struck a number of Hamas terror targets in the southern Gaza Strip," an army statement said early Wednesday.

It said a weapons manufacturing site and underground infrastructure were among the sites targeted.

At least two Hamas sites were hit, in addition to one for allied group Islamic Jihad, a security source in Gaza said.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Islamists Hamas control Gaza and Israel holds the group responsible for any rockets launched from the strip, even if fired by smaller groups.

The strikes came in response to two rockets fired at Israel late Tuesday, one of which was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the army said.

The rockets caused sirens to sound around the Israeli town of Sderot, close to the border with Gaza.

The latest incident comes after a brief flare-up between Israel and the Islamist-ruled territory ended two weeks ago.

On November 12, Israeli fire killed a top Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza, sparking immediate retaliatory rocket fire from the group.

The Israeli military said around 450 rockets were fired at its territory in that episode and air defences intercepted dozens of them.

After two days of clashes which killed 34 Palestinians and no Israelis, a ceasefire began on November 14.