Sirens blare in Gaza periphery as rocket launched from Strip

Warning alarms heard in second attack in 24 hours, after several weeks without cross-border fire

Warnings sirens wailed in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council Friday night, signaling a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip, the second launch in 24 hours.

Residents in the Sderot area reported hearing an explosion. Officials said the projectile apparently exploded in an open area and did not cause casualties or damage.

Shortly after midnight Saturday, sirens again blared in the Gaza area, although it was later reported to be a false alarm.

Early Friday Israeli Air Force planes attacked a Hamas position in the northern Strip in response to a rocket attack several hours earlier. It wasn’t clear whether the rocket fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel Thursday night had landed in Israeli territory, the army said.

“The IDF sees the Hamas terror group as the sole party responsible for what takes place in the Gaza Strip and for what emanates from it,” an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said.

On Monday, sirens sounded near the Gaza border, but no rocket impact site was found, and the IDF said it was possible the sirens had been a false alarm.

The last several weeks had been relatively calm along the Gaza border, with no rockets fired out of the Palestinian enclave.