Palestinian Forces Fire Rocket Into Southern Israel

Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket into southern Israel early Saturday, sending citizens into shelters in the coastal city of Ashkelon. This follows two months of relative quiet along the Israel-Gaza border. Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted the rocket, and there were no reports of casualties, the Israeli military said. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility, but Israel holds Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, responsible for cross-border incursions into Israel. Later on Saturday, Israeli aircraft carried out a series of retaliatory airstrikes on four Hamas military sites in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, an Israeli military observation balloon crashed in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident but that the balloon was not downed by Palestinian forces.