Gaza Militants Strike Israel With Rocket Barrage

Militants in the Gaza Strip fired dozens of rockets today into southern Israel, sending civilians rushing into bomb shelters but causing no casualties. The Israeli military says it's the largest rocket barrage since 2012, when it launched an eight-day air campaign in Gaza it said was aimed at stopping the attacks. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said one rocket exploded near a gas station and another near a public library. Israel's military said more than 30 rockets were fired over two hours, with three intercepted by the "Iron Dome" missile system and eight hitting populated areas.

The others fell in open areas. The barrage set off air-raid sirens in southern communities within range of the rockets. The Israeli military said that "tanks fired at terror infrastructure in Gaza" and identified a hit this evening. Residents in the Beit Hanoun area of Gaza said they saw an Israeli strike hit a rocket launcher squad. In Gaza, the Islamic Jihad militant said it fired 20 rockets to avenge the deaths of three of its members killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before. The Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks over the years. Israel's military said it had targeted the militants yesterday after they fired at Israel. (More Israel stories.)