On May 6, an unidentified Israeli attack UAV fired an air-to-ground missile toward a Palestinian missile squad in the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the sources said. They said the munition landed near a Fatah squad and damaged a Kassam-class, short-range missile launcher. None of the squad members were injured.

This was the first report of an Israeli combat UAV employed in the northern Gaza Strip in 2007. The Israeli military significantly reduced air operations over the area since the Palestinian Authority declared a ceasefire in November 2006, Middle East Newsline reported.

The sources said a UAV also fired missiles toward an Islamic Jihad missile squad in Beit Lahiya on Monday. Israel's military said a helicopter targeted a Jihad vehicle and two people were injured.

"The Israel Defense Forces carried out an aerial attack against a vehicle laden with explosives that was on its way to launch rockets from the northern Gaza Strip into Israel," the military said in a statement on Monday. "The vehicle and the explosives inside were destroyed in the attack."

[In Washington, the State Department said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would not visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority on May 15. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack cited the political crisis in Israel.]

Israel has never acknowledged the use of combat UAVs. But Palestinian and industry sources said the air force has conducted operations of the Hermes-450 UAV by Elbit Systems, equipped with small air-to-ground rockets manufactured by the state-owned Rafael, Israel Armament Development Authority.

The use of the combat UAVs came amid an intensification of Palestinian missile fire from the Gaza Strip. At least two Israelis were injured and two homes were damaged in Palestinian missile salvos since May 6. Palestinian gunners continued their missile fire on Tuesday.