One of the rockets was said to have struck a home in Beersheba. The
family in the house was not injured after a military warning of an
impending Palestinian attack.
The rocket attack on Beersheba was the first since the Israel-Hamas war
in December 2008. During the war, Hamas fired scores of Chinese-modified
Grads with a range of at least 45 kilometers.
Palestinian gunners also fired mortars and rockets toward several
southern Israeli communities. There were no reports of serious injuries.
The sources said the military expected additional rocket strikes from
the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. They said military intelligence has assessed
that Iran and Syria were believed working with their proxies to escalate
tension along Israel's borders to divert from the Arab revolt in the Middle
East.
Hamas is said to have deployed Iranian rockets with a range of up to 80
kilometers. This includes the Fajr-5, capable of striking Tel Aviv from the
Gaza Strip.
Israeli aircraft responded with missile attacks on the suspected gunners
in the northern Gaza Strip. Sources said the Palestinian rocket squad
was believed to have been composed of members of the Iranian-sponsored
Islamic Jihad. In all, at least 11 Palestinians were reported injured.
"The Israel Defense Forces holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely
responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gaza Strip and for any terrorist
activity emanating from it," an Israeli military statement said.
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