Hours after Independence Day celebrations came to a close, militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket into southern Israel.
Israeli military confirmed that one rocket was fired late Thursday toward the city of Sderot and landed in an open area close to Israel's side of the border fence.
Footage of rocket fire from Gaza
(Photo: Didi Fuld)
No damage or casualties were reported.
Earlier, a rocket alert siren was sounded in the city and surrounding areas.
The city's municipality also confirmed the rocket launch. "Not long ago, 'Red Code' alert was sounded in the city. One rocket was fired from the Strip and landed in an open area," said the statement.
This is the first rocket launch from Gaza in the past three weeks. The last rocket attack occurred days before Election Day when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the city of Be'er Sheva as part of his campaign.
A medium-range rocket was detected by IDF radars, but rocket alert was not activated or sounded since the rocket was aimed at an open area outside the city, where it ultimately exploded. A few hours later, Israel Air Force attacked Hamas positions in Gaza in retaliation.